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
This singular event can be the catalyst needed to get oil moving back down and bond yields following, freeing Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to lower rates.
—
Kevin Stankiewicz,zev Fima, CNBC, 25 May 2026
Gabriel Jesus was the catalyst behind Arsenal’s first title race under Mikel Arteta in the 2022-23 season, and that all began with a spellbinding performance at Selhurst Park that August.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 24 May 2026
Diet, for example, is viewed as a potential catalyst.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 21 May 2026
Alonzo Alvarez has seen his role increase over the past month and has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
Evans and Alvarez, senior and freshmen, served as catalysts for the Hurricanes on Wednesday as Miami opened play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Kevin Stankiewicz,zev Fima, CNBC, 25 May 2026
Gabriel Jesus was the catalyst behind Arsenal’s first title race under Mikel Arteta in the 2022-23 season, and that all began with a spellbinding performance at Selhurst Park that August.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 24 May 2026
Diet, for example, is viewed as a potential catalyst.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 21 May 2026
Alonzo Alvarez has seen his role increase over the past month and has taken full advantage of the opportunity.
Evans and Alvarez, senior and freshmen, served as catalysts for the Hurricanes on Wednesday as Miami opened play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst
Noun
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Competitor Ross saw comparable sales jump a staggering 17%, beating expectations of 9%, and also attributed some of its outsize growth to extra stimulus.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,
CNBC,
1 June 2026
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The Obama administration did spend $34 million from the $787 billion 2009 economic stimulus package — or less than four one-thousandths of 1% of the total package — to reconstruct the Reflecting Pool in a two-year project that wrapped up in August 2012.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Every dollar above prewar fuel prices transfers directly into political pressure accumulating in congressional offices, presidential approval ratings, and midterm election calculations.—
David S. Cohen,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 May 2026
-
Analysts today describe an institution constrained by shortages of fuel and spare parts and increasingly dependent on domestic improvisation — modifying, repurposing and cannibalizing older systems to keep them operational.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
And a health system’s ability to schedule surgeries is gated not just by the availability of doctors and nurses, but also by its ability to maintain a constant flow of clean, reusable medical tools to its operating rooms.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
Josh Mattison, executive vice president of digital revenue pricing, planning and operations at Disney, who reports to Ferro, said in an interview that Ferro made a point to learn the ins and outs of the digital tools at Disney’s disposal.—
Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Jared McCain, acquired at the trade deadline, played a remarkable role in the West finals for his quick trigger and fluid handle.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
-
The currency remains near 160 versus the dollar, an area often regarding as a potential trigger for intervention.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Multiple investigations at the state and local level are underway to unravel the full cause of the near disaster.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
The staff responds to between 50 and 70 strandings annually, and the typical cause of death is pneumonia, Rust says.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
By 2018, when Clémentin Bouquet joined the lab, the team was confident in its findings and ready to dig into the underlying mechanisms.—
Siddhant Pusdekar,
Quanta Magazine,
1 June 2026
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Partnerships between university research groups and commercial entities have historically served as one mechanism for de-risking early-stage process improvements before they are committed to a production line.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Three cases The impetus for the legislation was a shocking case last year in Waterbury that was following by two other cases in New Britain and Enfield.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
-
The impetus to start the brand came after losing a close friend, Kristy, to cancer at just 24 years old in 2013.—
Rachel Burchfield,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Brith had shut her eyes, finding that the sparks were still living on the inside of the lids, vivid in their dangerous dark.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
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He will be counted on to provide both a creative spark and goal-scoring opportunities this summer.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalyst. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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