Thesaurus results for SPURRED

spurred

verb

Definition of spurred

past tense of spur

as in dug

to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object gently spurred the horse with his heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 spurred The secrecy surrounding Google’s work piqued the interest of experts and spurred them to openly reproduce the result. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026 Alongside this, spurred by the digital revolution, Italian culture is shifting away from solitary individualism towards a rekindled sense of community. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026 The shootings, coming weeks after the Israel-Hamas war began, rattled Burlington and the West Bank and spurred calls for hate-crime charges as jurors weighed motive and mental illness. — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 The Los Angeles native said a love of contrast has spurred him down many paths in his decades long career. — Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Sep. 2026 The bride and groom spurred tradition and saw each other the morning of the wedding for a sunrise swim in the ocean. — Shelby Wax, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026 That epidemic spurred the United States and many other countries to invest in new research and development, which resulted in an Ebola vaccine that has since been used to save lives and contain multiple outbreaks. — Stephanie Psaki, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026 Despite the horrific nature of Wallace’s crimes, the murders have spurred lasting change. — Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026 In fact, the flight may have spurred NASA to launch Apollo 8. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurred

Verb

But the Rebels dug deep again, and came away with the emotional victory.

— Patricia Babcock McGraw OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Field dug plants usually do fine with two irrigations per week through the warmer months.

— Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of dug

Verb

Police said Warren punched a 15-year-old and caused a minor injury to the teen’s parent.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Their job is to reduce the world to a series of numbers that can be punched into increasingly complex statistical equations and published in esoteric journals with high barriers to entry and minuscule readerships.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of punched

Verb

Garrett, the best defensive player of the post-Aaron Donald era, fittingly goaded the legend out of retirement.

— Jeff Howe, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Or Pablo Picasso, goaded into radicalism by the latest bizarre creations of Matisse, retreating to the Spanish mountain village of Gósol and, mere months later, beginning work on his proto-cubist masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

— Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of goaded

Verb

So there’s not that much to happen in the last two-thirds of the drama than for your ribs to be constantly nudged with the idea of how easily the most respectable citizens among us will give in to modest proposals and, indeed, murder.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Officials also nudged up their expectations for inflation this year.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of nudged

Verb

On a recent weekend in Lee's district about 50 days before the election, members from the Culinary Union, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations knocked on voters' doors, hoping to sway those still undecided.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
In the fifth round, the champion landed a powerful right-hand punch that knocked Pantoja down.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026