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
Adebayo and Herro were the catalysts behind the Heat’s dominant performance on Sunday.
—
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
The emergence of Netflix series Drive To Survive two years later was a catalyst for a new wave of popularity in the States, not to mention the addition of races in Miami and Las Vegas, which, alongside Austin, bolstered the American presence on the F1 calendar.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 7 Mar. 2026
The Athletic reported in August that the 47-year-old did not see eye to eye with Forest’s then-head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and there was a falling out that would become the catalyst for the Portuguese coach to leave the club.
—David Ornstein, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Rice finished with 18 points and six assists, joining Betts as a key catalyst for the Bruins.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
The emergence of Netflix series Drive To Survive two years later was a catalyst for a new wave of popularity in the States, not to mention the addition of races in Miami and Las Vegas, which, alongside Austin, bolstered the American presence on the F1 calendar.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 7 Mar. 2026
The Athletic reported in August that the 47-year-old did not see eye to eye with Forest’s then-head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and there was a falling out that would become the catalyst for the Portuguese coach to leave the club.
—David Ornstein, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Rice finished with 18 points and six assists, joining Betts as a key catalyst for the Bruins.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst
Noun
-
Our market reacts to rate cuts more than any other stimulus.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
-
But economists expressed disappointment over the government’s limited stimulus.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The world’s largest container shipping company, MSC, already announced fuel surcharges on shipments until at least April.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The Chinese firm believes its faster network will make EV charging feel closer to the experience of briefly stopping at a fuel station.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Scientists use Talos to study how humanoid machines walk, maintain balance, and use tools in complex environments.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The combination of a weak economy and high inflation is a worst-case scenario for investors because the Federal Reserve has no good tool to fix both problems at the same time.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Small strokes, for example, can impair blood flow to the brain and trigger what’s called vascular dementia.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
One target took absolute precedence, however, and getting him in a favorable spot was the trigger of the entire war — former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For example, the Railway Safety Act requires the rail industry to invest approximately two billion dollars to address wheel bearing failures, the cause of the East Palestine derailment.—
Michael F. Gorman,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Noem’s firing was a cause for celebration among many in Hollywood.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The aim was to assess how digital activism supports truth-telling, collective memory and atrocity prevention mechanisms.—
Arnaud Kurze,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
-
What Bocos’s Story Means for Anyone Documenting Wildlife The trajectory from casual wildlife photograph to published co-authorship is unusual, but the underlying mechanism is not.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Presently, supporters’ anxiety stems from an absence of impetus from their side.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
After 10-year-old Opal moves with her preacher father to the tiny fictional town of Naomi, Florida, a chance encounter with a stray dog at the local Winn-Dixie grocery store is the impetus for making friends and ultimately coming to terms with the changes in her life.—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Again and again, American planners have assumed that if the right spark is provided, oppressed people will seize the moment and revolt.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The lone spark from the hosts was Ross Johnston’s decisive fight win against Tyler Tucker, though Johnston was assessed a major penalty for boarding on the hit that provoked the conflict.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalyst. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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