urge

1 of 2

verb

urged; urging

transitive verb

1
: to present, advocate, or demand earnestly or pressingly
his conviction was upheld on a theory never urged at his … trialLeon Friedman
2
: to undertake the accomplishment of with energy, swiftness, or enthusiasm
urge the attack
3
a
: 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 angerWilliam 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

2 of 2

noun

1
: the act or process of urging
2
: a force or impulse that urges
especially : a continuing impulse toward an activity or goal

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 last video released by the company, featuring Professor Ludwig Von Drake, urged shareholders to only vote for Disney’s board nominees, and was more lighthearted in tone. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024 Trian is urging Disney investors to vote in Peltz and Jay Rasulo, former CFO at Disney, at the company’s April 3 annual shareholders meeting. Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 As in other cases, the company urged the court to toss out the entire drug-pricing program. Tony Romm, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 The firefighters merrily urged themselves as one into the elevator and disappeared. Joseph O’Neill, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Also, the city could urge the property managers to require all visitors to sign in and out, and to divert low-level issues to on-site personnel. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 The House Freedom Caucus, which contains dozens of the GOP’s most conservative members, urged Republicans to vote against the first spending package and the second one still being negotiated. Kevin Freking, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) highlighted Iran's presence at the exhibition and urged the U.S. to work toward denying such access to any future weapons expos. Peter Aitken, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2024 In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, more than 100 performers, including Matt Damon, Jessica Lange, Helen Hunt, George Clooney and Danny Glover, signed a letter urging President George W. Bush not to attack Iraq. Sarah Bahr, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
But like a folksy ear worm, the urge to find it within this wilderness of rock might be hard to shake. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Control the Itching As much as possible, resist the urge to itch your skin. Andrea Stanley, Health, 4 Mar. 2024 Dani romanticizes her disorder as rebellious taboo-breaking, and this leads her to make a troubling alliance online with someone else who represses urges: a pedophile. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Knowledge is power, and the urge to research your future endeavors is overwhelming. Essence, 4 Mar. 2024 That urge was reflected in his belief in aggressive action to defeat the British. Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Mar. 2024 Resist the urge to equate the AI of today and human cognition. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Still, the researcher argues that consumers should resist the urge to shift the blame onto themselves. Popular Science, 28 Feb. 2024 The Millennial urge to trace everything back to their childhood strikes again. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'urge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin urgēre to press, push, entreat — more at wreak

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1555, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of urge was circa 1555

Dictionary Entries Near urge

Cite this Entry

“Urge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urge. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

urge

1 of 2 verb
urged; urging
1
: to ask for or support earnestly
continually urging reform
2
: to try to persuade
urge a guest to stay longer
3
: to force or drive to some course or activity (as greater speed)
riders urging their horses on

urge

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act or process of urging
2
: a strong desire especially to achieve a goal
the urge to win

More from Merriam-Webster on urge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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