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
My theory is that Hill’s return to the track in 2023, following a nine-year hiatus, was the impetus for this years-long duel.
—
Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
After having built and rebuilt Rome for centuries, Romans saw little need to change as long as there was no impetus to do so.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 12 June 2025
However, America will be far better off when the impetus to adopt healthier habits falls on individuals and families, rather than Uncle Sam.
—Christina Smith, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2025
While Otis continued pitching for the next couple of years, helping lead Columbine to the Class 5A title as a junior, the impetus for her switch to full-time outfielder came a few weeks before the start of her senior season.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
After having built and rebuilt Rome for centuries, Romans saw little need to change as long as there was no impetus to do so.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 12 June 2025
However, America will be far better off when the impetus to adopt healthier habits falls on individuals and families, rather than Uncle Sam.
—Christina Smith, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2025
While Otis continued pitching for the next couple of years, helping lead Columbine to the Class 5A title as a junior, the impetus for her switch to full-time outfielder came a few weeks before the start of her senior season.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impetus
Noun
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While American pharmaceutical development exhibits signs of institutional sclerosis, China’s system demonstrates the power of aligned incentives, streamlined processes, and strategic coordination between regulatory bodies, research institutions, and industry players.—
Greg Licholai MD,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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This prompted the lawmaker to question why someone would want to run away from these incentives and avoid detection.—
Asher Notheis,
The Washington Examiner,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
While some commenters noted the mistake, many offered support and encouragement.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
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However, Bird only came out in 2017, after the encouragement of Rapinoe.—
Grace Jordan-Weinstein,
People.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The next step is to win it, and that’s our motivation for next season.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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The suspect’s motivation for the shootings remains unclear.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2025
Noun
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State stimulus, on-demand infrastructure, affective consumption, and homegrown innovation are reshaping consumer expectations and fashion’s business logic.—
Li Jun,
Footwear News,
28 June 2025
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That could reduce the urgency for Beijing to step up stimulus at the upcoming Politburo meeting in July, Xing added.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impetus. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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