as in incentive
something that arouses action or activity
the reward money should be sufficient impetus for someone to come forward with information about the robbery
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Recent Examples of impetus
That was the impetus for NASA’s Martian rovers, including this century’s Curiosity and Perseverance missions, which are still active today.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
The decisive impetus on the material side comes from our shareholder Mitsui Chemical to use sustainable material solutions in these products.
—CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
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
The impetus for Rapa Nui came from Thomas Athol Joyce, an ethnographer at the British Museum who’d urged the Routledges to go while elderly islanders who remembered the old ways were still alive.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
The decisive impetus on the material side comes from our shareholder Mitsui Chemical to use sustainable material solutions in these products.
—CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026
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
The impetus for Rapa Nui came from Thomas Athol Joyce, an ethnographer at the British Museum who’d urged the Routledges to go while elderly islanders who remembered the old ways were still alive.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impetus
Noun
-
This isn’t shaping up as one of those years with a McDavid-level or even Bedard-level prospect waiting with the first pick, but in a way that’s even more incentive to tank for dead last, assuring no worse than a top-three pick in a year where that still might get you the best player.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Compared someone making monetary demands, a kidnapper looking to make a statement can be more dangerous because there is less incentive to keep the person alive.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Aleksandar Mishkov, dog trainer and owner of The Daily Tail, offers a note of encouragement to all would-be pup owners.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
9 Feb. 2026
-
He could be heard often on Saturday screaming encouragement to the middle school group during one-on-one drills.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But Mandac used those setbacks as motivation, taking some new knowledge away from each defeat.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
So, great motivation to keep that going.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His campaign focuses on national security and economic stimulus.—
GRANT PECK,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
On Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s party won a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house of parliament, as voters gave a resounding endorsement of her right-wing agenda, which includes fiscal stimulus.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impetus. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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