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
An additional catalyst could come from further positive commentary about free cash flow in another month at the company’s annual Capital Management call.
—
Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
The event seems to have been a catalyst for Brooklyn.
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
The catalyst of the looming tempest is the Morton Amphitheater, which will open this summer in Riverside with 30 or more concerts already on the schedule.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
The death of Costa Mesa Fire Captain Mike Kreza in 2018 was one of the catalysts for the city’s lawsuit.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
The event seems to have been a catalyst for Brooklyn.
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
The catalyst of the looming tempest is the Morton Amphitheater, which will open this summer in Riverside with 30 or more concerts already on the schedule.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
The death of Costa Mesa Fire Captain Mike Kreza in 2018 was one of the catalysts for the city’s lawsuit.
—Claire Wang, Oc Register, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst
Noun
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This suggests the presence of an internal, self-evolving latent variable—independent of external stimuli—that shapes the timing structure of motivation and decision-making.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
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Feland adds that the additional gravitational load gives an extra stimulus for the bone to build more tissue in people who don’t get that through weight-bearing exercise or resistance training.—
Jennifer Heimlich,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Extreme heat fuels out of control bushfires Bushfires, fueled by the soaring temperatures, have menaced towns in the state of Victoria, prompting evacuations as volunteer firefighters attempted to douse flames around homes.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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The simple-looking 'speedometer' is actually a touchscreen that can show GPS and a variety of displays for speed, RPM, fuel, music, and more.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Gardening Tools Garden tools should be cleaned after every use to remove fungi, bacteria, and pests that can be transferred to healthy plants.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
9 Jan. 2026
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And keep your in-flight essentials like headphones, sleep mask, e-reader, and other tech tools together in your personal item that stays with you at the seat rather than in the overhead bin.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Does being back on Broadway trigger any nostalgia at how your life and career have changed since Virginia Woolf?—
Juan A. Ramírez,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
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Alcohol can dehydrate the skin and trigger inflammation.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The exact cause of death was not clear and few other details were provided.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
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Officials won't be able to diagnose the cause of the leak until the pipe is excavated.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Discoveries about the underlying technical mechanisms within LLMs are showing us more so how AI personas happen under-the-hood.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Transparency and press advocates say the statute threatens democratic oversight by creating a new legal mechanism that can shield information from public view, limit voters’ ability to scrutinize those in power and weaken the public’s right to know.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The decisive impetus on the material side comes from our shareholder Mitsui Chemical to use sustainable material solutions in these products.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
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The immediate impetus for the protests was the release by Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism on July 13, 2019 (the day before the protests began), of nearly 900 pages of digital chats between Rosselló and his top aides and cabinet members.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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You’re being called to lead, build and commit to a long-term vision, rather than just chasing the next spark of inspiration.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
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Cavaliers coach William Maloney indicated Clark’s return was the spark.—
Butch Hart,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalyst. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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