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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impetus
This provides the impetus for Bart to finish the song, which is all about maintaining faith and gratitude in the face of dire circumstances.
—
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Though Emily is not naming names, Indus is likely the impetus for the caffeine.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2026
Education has always been important to Matheson, but the impetus to enrol on a course that would typically be of interest to much older players came after suffering a serious injury in his last season at Wolves.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
What drives her is the sense of responsibility which provides the impetus.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Though Emily is not naming names, Indus is likely the impetus for the caffeine.
—Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2026
Education has always been important to Matheson, but the impetus to enrol on a course that would typically be of interest to much older players came after suffering a serious injury in his last season at Wolves.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
What drives her is the sense of responsibility which provides the impetus.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impetus
Noun
-
Profit drives much of our health care system, and the gap between social need and market incentives is evident to anyone navigating insurance forms, rising copays, or surprise bills.—
Scott Levenson,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Among other benefits, China’s lower tariff rate reduces the incentive for companies to shift production to other countries in Asia, at least temporarily.—
Jennifer Jett,
NBC news,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
For Bodenham, that early encouragement from Jones grew into a career exploring the deep history of life on earth.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Students shout encouragement while shaking jars of cream into butter.—
Alexa Liacko,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Posters of past individual state wrestling champions hang in the Lumpkin County gym to serve as motivation for current wresters, and Nora and Greta’s posters, second and third from right on the wall, respectively, count among them.—
Jason Getz,
AJC.com,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The motivation behind their murder spree and AI fuckery is muddled at best.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those two breaks in particular account for about half of the stimulus, leading to larger tax refunds and smaller tax payments, the bank found.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
-
With previous federal stimulus checks, individuals earning up to $75,000 and couples earning up to $150,000 received full payments.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impetus. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
