as in urged
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 exhorted
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
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
Other lyrics, like one in which Blow exhorted a girl in brown to stop messin’ around, bore the stamp of the rapper himself.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
In the old days, children were exhorted to be good because God sees all.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 4 Nov. 2025
Johnson exhorted at a Labor Day workers rally.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
Pulte has lambasted Fed chair Powell in social media posts and television interviews, called for lower short-term interest rates, and exhorted Congress to probe the Fed over a cost overrun.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025
Inspired by the financial and professional assistance, Cenedella exhorted the 30 people in the audience to accept the challenge of working to improve their community.
—Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 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
Other lyrics, like one in which Blow exhorted a girl in brown to stop messin’ around, bore the stamp of the rapper himself.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
In the old days, children were exhorted to be good because God sees all.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 4 Nov. 2025
Johnson exhorted at a Labor Day workers rally.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
Pulte has lambasted Fed chair Powell in social media posts and television interviews, called for lower short-term interest rates, and exhorted Congress to probe the Fed over a cost overrun.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 21 Aug. 2025
Inspired by the financial and professional assistance, Cenedella exhorted the 30 people in the audience to accept the challenge of working to improve their community.
—Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exhorted
Verb
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In his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, the President urged lawmakers to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America, Act, a bill that would require voters to provide proof of citizenship and photo identification to cast ballots in all 50 states, among other changes.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
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The coding craze spread quickly, from parents badgering their kids to drop the English major and opt for a STEM degree—and former President Barack Obama even urged people to learn to code.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Those who noticed the quake are encouraged to report it via the USGS Felt Report form.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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The introduction encouraged the writer to not hold back when answering questions, advice that Sarah, with her blunt, forthright style, didn’t really need.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exhorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exhorted. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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