as in stimulus
something that arouses action or activity
Her expulsion from the university proved to be a catalyst for needed change.
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Recent Examples of catalyst
The authors note that this outcome is counterintuitive, as it is generally assumed that reactions accelerate when more reactants can reach the catalyst more quickly, pointing instead to a more nuanced underlying principle governing nanoscale catalysis.
—
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
Smart was the defensive catalyst for the Lakers.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
The previous two cycles saw TCU sign some of the biggest names in the sports, Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Miles, with both players being catalysts for deep NCAA Tournament runs.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Dyson Daniels scored 17, but CJ McCollum, the catalyst of both Atlanta victories, had just six.
—CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
Smart was the defensive catalyst for the Lakers.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
The previous two cycles saw TCU sign some of the biggest names in the sports, Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Miles, with both players being catalysts for deep NCAA Tournament runs.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Dyson Daniels scored 17, but CJ McCollum, the catalyst of both Atlanta victories, had just six.
—CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst
Noun
-
Fiscal stimulus helped to buoy spending in the first quarter.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
-
Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes, and the existential problems that war presents often act as a stimulus to innovation.—
David Szondy
May 02,
New Atlas,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
In the meantime, the energy crisis continues, threatening summer holidays in Asia and Europe as the loss of jet fuel supplies from the Middle East ripples across those regions.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
7 May 2026
-
Friendly competition is part of the fuel for starter Davis Martin.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
After Anthropic’s success in attracting business users, OpenAI is beefing up its Codex coding agent and other work tools.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
State leaders should look beyond land use and taxation as tools for lowering prices.—
Maxwell Harden,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
In the future, researchers hope to develop a trigger for the spores in water, where a large portion of plastic pollution ends up.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
-
Ammonia is a chemical byproduct of urine, so the team chose urine as a trigger for their experiments.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
These tubes are the cause of the frequent delays in the 200,000 daily trips made under the Hudson.—
Tom Wright,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2026
-
Persistent leaks or damp areas Leaks are one of the most common causes of household mold.—
Ryan Brennan
May 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Enforcement mechanisms, such as freezing accounts, canceling trades and clawing back profits, already exist as part of the private contract between the individual gambler and the house.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
The flexibility of this digital approach enabled easy testing of various scenarios, confirming that the dolphin’s propulsion mechanism remains remarkably consistent across swimming speeds.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The lawyers do have a valid point that the state Department of Financial Services can do a better job of regulating auto insurance rates, which everyone agrees are too high and is the main impetus for Hochul’s reforms.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
Villa could not find any impetus in the second half.—
Tottenham Hotspur,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Things improved as the game wore on with Tocchet changing his lines hunting for a spark.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
-
Little sparks of achievement also come from doing chores or any of my enjoyable or meaningful activities.—
Alex Korb, Ph.D.,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalyst. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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