urge

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verb

ˈərj

urged; urging

Synonyms of urge next

transitive verb

: to present, advocate, or demand earnestly or pressingly

his conviction was upheld on a theory never urged at his … trial—

Leon Friedman

: to undertake the accomplishment of with energy, swiftness, or enthusiasm

urge the attack

: solicit, entreat

urged him to keep trying

: to serve as a motive or reason for

urged by a sense of duty

: to force or impel in an indicated direction or into motion or greater speed

the dog urged the sheep toward the gate

: stimulate, provoke

urge not my father's anger—

William Shakespeare

intransitive verb

: to declare, advance, or press earnestly a statement, argument, charge, or claim

urged for the adoption of the proposal

urger noun

urge

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noun

: the act or process of urging

: a force or impulse that urges

especially : a continuing impulse toward an activity or goal

Example Sentences

Verb He is continually urging reform. The rescuers urged that we remain calm. an editorial urging readers to vote I urge you to reconsider. A hand on her back urged her forward. Noun the urge for something sweet He fought the urge to cry. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

For subscribers:Parents urge JCPS to change magnet admissions due to school start time proposal How much are resale tickets to Beyoncé's Louisville show? —

Rae Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2023 Chinese President Xi Jinping is also planning to visit with Putin in the coming months, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing unnamed sources who said Xi will push for an end to the war and urge Russia not to use nuclear weapons. —

Sara Dorn, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 Jealous uses modern day parables (with glimpses of luminaries like the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu) to urge national unity. —

Donna M. Owens, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2023 Business Unity South Africa, the country’s biggest business group, wrote to Ramaphosa last week to urge him to use the opportunity to appoint a more competent executive, and to do more to institute economic reforms and crack down on corruption. —

Amogelang Mbatha, Bloomberg.com, 9 Feb. 2023 Some Snyder fans have been using Twitter to urge Warner Bros. to sell the SnyderVerse to Netflix so that the director can continue on with his comic book universe. —

Zack Sharf, Variety, 9 Feb. 2023 Disney has for years used her position and her name to urge the wealthiest strata of society to behave more conscientiously. —

Bytristan Bove, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2023 Thompson then trudged through deep snow to open a gate on the east side of the airstrip, then used the pop of his paintball gun, and the occasional whistle and thump on his truck door, to urge the bulls toward it. —

Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Dec. 2022 Carter also used his time on the show to urge his mother to get help for her drinking addiction. —

Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 24 Dec. 2022

Noun

Fixing server problems, offering alternatives to legacy features, and resisting the urge to change too much all at once? —

Victoria Song, The Verge, 14 Mar. 2023 Resist the urge to pay extra for assembly, since putting this one together is easier than most. —

Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, 10 Mar. 2023 Add the potatoes, milk and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (resist the urge to heat it faster as this can lead to curdling). —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2023 And resisting the urge to wipe the garden clean can continue to foster a wildlife habitat for those beneficial creatures. —

Monica Cardoza, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2023 Netflix has resisted the urge to dive into live sports, a business that comes with astronomical costs because of the license fees popular leagues are able to extract for broadcast and streaming rights. —

Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2023 Once the hair finally breaks free, resist the urge to pluck or shave it. —

Maddy Zollo Rusbosin, Women's Health, 28 Feb. 2023 And while you might be tempted to channel your inner nail artist, Seney recommends resisting the urge to do gel extensions. —

Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 16 Feb. 2023 The post workout cool-down is (almost) as easy to skip as the warm-up, but resist the urge! —

Jenny Mccoy, SELF, 15 Feb. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'urge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.