as in urges
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 exhorts
On her deathbed, Mary exhorts her son to take advantage of this situation in grotesquely self-serving terms at odds with the movie’s overall soak-the-rich ethos.
—
Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Carol, a reclusive and disgruntled bestselling romantasy author, exhorts her reticent audience of five immune English speakers to reclaim human agency against the milquetoast, obsequious blob and join her in a quest to reverse the happiness apocalypse.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
There is also a growing rhetoric that exhorts the virtues of blue-collar labor.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Carol, a reclusive and disgruntled bestselling romantasy author, exhorts her reticent audience of five immune English speakers to reclaim human agency against the milquetoast, obsequious blob and join her in a quest to reverse the happiness apocalypse.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
There is also a growing rhetoric that exhorts the virtues of blue-collar labor.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exhorts
Verb
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Australia has advised citizens not to transit through countries including the United Arab Emirates, while Canada continues to advise against all travel to the UAE and the United States urges travelers to reconsider travel to the country.—
Melanie Swan,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
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Curcio urges anyone who may have known Freese or his family to call him at 954-321-4212 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app.—
Kairi Lowery,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Each line encourages a body to shift when uttered or even when read silently to oneself.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
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To her daughter, 8-year-old Hazel (Nola Wallace), Paula is the fun parent, a mom who encourages ice cream for dinner, embraces cursing, enthusiastically participates in TikTok dances, and even coaches her daughter’s youth soccer team.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exhorts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exhorts. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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