as in to urge
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action
the speaker exhorted the graduating students to go forth and try to make a difference in the world
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Recent Examples of exhort
In an election statement in 2025, WGA West board member Adam Conover — who has his own popular channel on YouTube with nearly a million subscribers— exhorted the union to organize around YouTube and podcasts.
—
Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Trump has spent years dehumanizing immigrants, exhorting law enforcement to treat suspects more roughly, and attacking the rule of law.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Throughout the week, several groups including clergy, immigrant groups and labor unions exhorted residents to support the Friday protest and not shop nor attend school or work that day.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026
Sergey Brin, Google’s billionaire cofounder who stepped back from day-to-day involvement in 2019, is back full-time, pitching in on some of the technical work and exhorting staffers to push themselves harder and to work longer hours, according to media reports.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exhort
Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Trump has spent years dehumanizing immigrants, exhorting law enforcement to treat suspects more roughly, and attacking the rule of law.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
Throughout the week, several groups including clergy, immigrant groups and labor unions exhorted residents to support the Friday protest and not shop nor attend school or work that day.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 23 Jan. 2026
Sergey Brin, Google’s billionaire cofounder who stepped back from day-to-day involvement in 2019, is back full-time, pitching in on some of the technical work and exhorting staffers to push themselves harder and to work longer hours, according to media reports.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exhort
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exhort
Verb
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The cost of inaction could be substantial enough to justify urging candidates to assess their viability before the filing deadline.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Daniel Sosa owns four licensed cannabis businesses in Los Angeles and previously urged the city to take immediate action to support the industry.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Those who noticed the earthquake are encouraged to report it through the USGS Felt Report form.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
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One particular point of scrutiny was a $220 million ad campaign featuring Noem that encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exhort.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exhort. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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