urge

verb

\ ˈərj

urged; urging

Definition of urge

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to present, advocate, or demand earnestly or pressingly his conviction was upheld on a theory never urged at his … trial— Leon Friedman

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

3a : solicit, entreat urged him to keep trying

b : to serve as a motive or reason for urged by a sense of duty

4 : to force or impel in an indicated direction or into motion or greater speed the dog urged the sheep toward the gate

5 : 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

urge

noun

Definition of urge (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the act or process of urging

2 : a force or impulse that urges especially : a continuing impulse toward an activity or goal

Other Words from urge Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About urge

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Examples of urge in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The missing woman's father, Joe Petito, also appeared at the news conference to urge anyone with knowledge about his daughter to come forward. — CBS News, 17 Sep. 2021 Prophets often speak of the need to repent for past wrongdoing, but Hayhoe doesn’t urge guilt on her listeners. — Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2021 This summer, New York City had its power grid tested, as a brutal heat wave forced authorities to urge New Yorkers to conserve electricity to avoid outages. — Sadek Wahba, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2021 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen continues to urge Congress to raise the national debt limit, arguing that delays will harm the U.S. economy, destabilize global financial markets, and be costly to taxpayers. — Wayne Winegarden, National Review, 16 Sep. 2021 The missing woman’s father, Joe Petito, also appeared at the news conference to urge anyone with knowledge about his daughter to come forward. — Curt Anderson, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2021 At a summit next week, President Biden is expected to urge world leaders to collectively commit to vaccinating 70% of the world's population against Covid-19 within a year. — Aj Willingham, CNN, 15 Sep. 2021 Efforts by Justice and others to urge residents to do so have resulted in only minimal improvement in recent weeks. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2021 During a debate two days later, Clyburn went backstage during a break to urge Biden to reveal his intentions for the Supreme Court that night. — Isaac Stanley-becker, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Sitting next to her, Hunter Anglea, 61, of Janesville, said the recall result strengthened his urge to leave California. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2021 Things only escalated during the game Saturday night when another fan felt the urge to skip the concession stand and just inhale mayonnaise. Enjoy! — Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 5 Sep. 2021 Anjos, born in Coimbra, Portugal, as the son of missionaries, has always felt an urge to go against the grain. — Samantha Hissong, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2021 Proper spacing is also essential, though most gardeners have felt the urge to cram in just a few more plants. — Chris M. Worrell, cleveland, 25 Apr. 2021 Portman, who had been accepted to Brown University for economics, felt the urge to do something more creative. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2021 Almost every leader has felt the urge to micromanage at some point. — Mark Murphy, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2021 After George Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody last summer, special education teacher Francia Pinillos felt the urge to talk to her students about race and social justice. — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2021 These energies will be locked in with the elegant New Moon in Virgo at 8:52 pm EDT, which is followed by a final trine between the Sun and Uranus, giving us the urge to shock everyone -- even ourselves. — Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 6 Sep. 2021

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.