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 drop was spurred on by the energy shock triggered by the Iran war and the expansion of wind and solar power adoption globally. — Simmone Shah, Time, 10 Nov. 2026 The insurance industry’s crash tests have spurred automakers to build safer vehicles, beyond what federal rules require. — Jessica Fishman, STAT, 10 Nov. 2026 Gary Raines, chief economist at FDRA, told FN that retail footwear prices remain on track to rise to a record in 2026 spurred on by higher import costs this year. — Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2026 Social media companies have reorganized their feeds to emphasize video, spurred by the massive growth of TikTok during the pandemic. — Mia Sato, The Verge, 8 Nov. 2026 That sweeping victory has spurred concerns that Democratic representatives could now block or slow spending on new AI infrastructure. — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026 Other factors have spurred public school enrollment losses, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift of more students to private and homeschool learning. — Brian Mann, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026 Without the change from Congress, the exemption would have reverted to 2017 levels — $5 million plus an inflation adjustment — after 2025, which spurred proactive estate planning from ultra-wealthy families before the legislation. — Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026 Instead, the late-breaking 9th Circuit decisions spurred a flurry of confusion and conjecture just hours before polls were set to open in the country’s most populous state. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurred

Verb

Rather than demolishing and starting again, the team kept the historic walls standing, reinforced every one of them, and dug beneath to take the foundations deeper.

— Lucas Oliver Mill, Architectural Digest, 11 Nov. 2026
The pair dug deep into their communication struggles in a YouTube video released the same day.

— Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of dug

Verb

Police have arrested a 27-year-old former NYPD cop and city substitute school aide for the murder of Brooklyn jogger Katie Suarez, who was stabbed to death during a run along the Brooklyn waterfront, multiple police sources said Saturday.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026
Prosecutors say the teen stabbed a 16-year-old boy in the upper chest with a 4-inch kitchen knife, seriously injuring the victim.

— Jennifer McLogan, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of stabbed

Verb

Miller had to be prodded Monday morning to catch the bus back to the team hotel.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Even the process by which animals are herded onto the trucks is often highly stressful, with frightened animals pushed, prodded, pulled, and otherwise handled roughly.

— Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of prodded

Verb

Buzelis had just fumbled his sixth turnover against the San Antonio Spurs, batting helplessly at the ball as it was poked from his grasp.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2026
Kid Rock harvested an incredible elk, and poked some fun at the state of politics in America in the process.

— David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

The console has already appeared at several maker events, where eager kids have punched and kicked its chunky buttons.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 11 Nov. 2026
Linebacker Nick Bolton punched the ball free from Hall, and Alohi Gilman recovered to set up a short-field touchdown.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 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

About 100 people door knocked for Vang in a canvassing event last month that featured divisive political commentator Hasan Piker.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Solace in winter is a treacherous landscape where children slip through the ice, men are knocked sideways by muskies, and cars hurl off the road into trees.

— CBS News, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026