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

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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

Smith also urged shot-receivers to take a deep breath and relax their muscles, as shots given in tense muscles tend to hurt more. — Erica Sweeney, Teen Vogue, "Why Do Some Vaccines Hurt More Than Others?," 24 Oct. 2018 Mark seemed ambivalent at times urging Brett on and at times telling him to stop. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Read the Full Transcript of Christine Blasey Ford's Opening Statement at Brett Kavanaugh's Hearing," 27 Sep. 2018 Commuters are also urged to allow additional time for travel, the MBTA said. — Jackson Cote, BostonGlobe.com, "Green Line service temporarily suspended between Brigham Circle and Heath Street," 12 July 2018 Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out search and rescue efforts, telling the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese diplomats in Thailand to take greater measures, and also urging Thai authorities to spare no efforts. — Vincent Thian, chicagotribune.com, "Search resumes for 23 missing tourists, mostly from China, after boat sinks in Thailand; 33 dead," 7 July 2018 Pilot-union groups and independent safety analysts also have quietly urged Egyptian authorities to do more to try to determine which mechanical or electrical problem could have caused the crash. — Andy Pasztor, WSJ, "French Investigators, Countering Egypt, Say Fire Likely Caused EgyptAir Crash," 7 July 2018 Pusha also urged Drake to admit the truth and be a good guy. — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, "We All Want To Know: Did Drake Address His Son On Scorpion?," 29 June 2018 The department also urged the court not to consider statements made by the president on the campaign trail. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Supreme Court Upholds Presidential Bigotry," 26 June 2018 Bogenschutz had also urged XXXTentacion to become more aware of his personal security. — Linda Trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Deadly ambush of XXXTentacion detailed in new court papers," 23 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Sure, people in the 1990s (as now) withered away in the closet–but everyone Cunanan encounters seems burdened by their urges. — Daniel D'addario, Time, "The Assassination of Gianni Versace," 11 Jan. 2018 His urge to escape came from a natural need to find his family. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "A Man Adopted a Free Puppy and Later Found Out It Was Actually a Wolf," 11 Oct. 2016 As the story went increasingly viral on Twitter, many users began expressing discomfort with the impulse that led Blair to share the story in the first place, as well as with our collective urge to devour it as a simple feel-good story. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "Plane Bae: how an in-flight matchmaker broke the internet," 6 July 2018 Self-control is the deliberate act of suppressing your urges and desires. — Paul C. Brunson, USA TODAY, "Paul C. Brunson: These 3 books are the best ever written on self-control and willpower," 5 July 2018 Chinese regulators appear to have failed to reconcile their desire for tech stocks to list at home with their urge to keep control of markets. — Jacky Wong, WSJ, "What Xiaomi’s Dropped Listing Says About Chinese Markets," 20 June 2018 Her urge to express herself artistically was still stronger than anything else. — Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, "Remembering Gabriella Crespi, a Milanese Original," 15 June 2018 Sit in the sun with cold beer, and give in to your primal urge to Instagram. — Lauren Daley, BostonGlobe.com, "Providence is bursting with new things to see, do, and eat," 23 May 2018 Still, Yao never quite shook his urge to cook Taiwanese food. — Gillian Ferguson, Los Angeles Magazine, "How Chef Jon Yao’s Family Recipes Influence His Refined Take on Taiwanese," 15 May 2018

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.