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
Her coughs and contractions were the impetus behind nearly 50 years studying chloride movement across the cells lining organs and body cavities, experiments that would be critical to cracking the medical mystery of cystic fibrosis.
—
Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
The impetus for Wednesday’s decision, however, appears to be less about keeping Ohtani fresh and more about the state of his bruised right shoulder.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Earlier this year, Elliott Investment Management took an activist stake in Norwegian, which may have provided impetus for the board to make a leadership change.
—Contessa Brewer,mallory Leonard, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Hours after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at his San Francisco home, OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman addressed the criticism surrounding artificial intelligence that appears to have been the impetus for the attack.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
The impetus for Wednesday’s decision, however, appears to be less about keeping Ohtani fresh and more about the state of his bruised right shoulder.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Earlier this year, Elliott Investment Management took an activist stake in Norwegian, which may have provided impetus for the board to make a leadership change.
—Contessa Brewer,mallory Leonard, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Hours after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at his San Francisco home, OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman addressed the criticism surrounding artificial intelligence that appears to have been the impetus for the attack.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impetus
Noun
-
There are no performance incentive payments or cost-of-living increase for senior leadership in the current fiscal year, according to a budget overview, and no incentive payments for anyone in the coming fiscal year starting July 1.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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In 2022, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to adopt an equity performance incentive, explicitly holding the system accountable for reaching low-income households, renters, and communities of color.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the aftermath, Pollard’s inbox filled with criticisms, encouragement and recommendations.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Arizona’s rapid low-density residential development sprawl is driven by its rabid encouragement of ever more population growth.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Although the trial may have gone in Scott's favor, Gill was highly critical of the Middletown narcotic detective's actions and questioned his motivation.—
Juliet Pennington,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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This tax finally gave companies motivation to prioritize accounting for these societal costs.—
Larz May,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Beginning with the stimulus of a cup or two of strong coffee, fifteen-year-old Columbia College sophomore George Templeton Strong started a diary in 1835.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Apr. 2026
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The project aims to produce materials that change their mechanical properties and shape in response to external light stimuli.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impetus. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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