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
Born as Bruce Church, Bruce Bruce is a Atlanta native whose impetus to explore a stand-up career came unexpectedly from a job as a Frito Lay salesman.
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
Crew-11's recent departure from the ISS leaves a skeleton crew of only three, and an increasing impetus for NASA to launch their replacements as soon as possible.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The bill puts the impetus on the fashion companies to pay for this work rather than shifting costs to the state, and analysis of the proposal found that substantial decarbonization in apparel would translate to only a few cents on a cotton t-shirt.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 16 Jan. 2026
That means the strong impetus to export that has helped China keep its economic growth on track in the face of US frictions, also belies a deeper dependence on the global economy than Beijing would like.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2026
Crew-11's recent departure from the ISS leaves a skeleton crew of only three, and an increasing impetus for NASA to launch their replacements as soon as possible.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The bill puts the impetus on the fashion companies to pay for this work rather than shifting costs to the state, and analysis of the proposal found that substantial decarbonization in apparel would translate to only a few cents on a cotton t-shirt.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 16 Jan. 2026
That means the strong impetus to export that has helped China keep its economic growth on track in the face of US frictions, also belies a deeper dependence on the global economy than Beijing would like.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impetus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impetus
Noun
-
The official boundaries of the new stadium incentive district have not yet been finalized.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The grocer will also receive a $50,000 retailer incentive bonus.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Punk’s response felt less like encouragement and more like a challenge.—
Rob Wolkenbrod,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Cathleen also acted as dance mistress by demonstrating the steps and helping James provide encouragement and brief explanations for a dance’s historical context.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Recognition events and incentive programs reinforced status and motivation.—
Paula de la Cruz,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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But her motivation, actions, and payoff are fundamentally different from those of her archetypical brothers and sisters.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This suggests the presence of an internal, self-evolving latent variable—independent of external stimuli—that shapes the timing structure of motivation and decision-making.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
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Feland adds that the additional gravitational load gives an extra stimulus for the bone to build more tissue in people who don’t get that through weight-bearing exercise or resistance training.—
Jennifer Heimlich,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impetus. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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