as in stabbing
to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object
gently spurred the horse with his heels
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Recent Examples of spurring
Iran’s economy was already in shambles before the war began more than three months ago, with high inflation and a currency crash spurring mass protests in late December.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 June 2026
China dominates the global drone supply chain, spurring Taiwan to build a domestic ecosystem, with the island’s exports to Europe surging in the last two years.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
Indeed, instead of spurring action, the slogans sometimes substitute for it.
—Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
The race to sway their decisions is spurring some strange experiments.
—Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
In the 21st century, Carson remains a cultural touchstone, not only spurring generations of people in the global environmental movement but also inspiring a deep well of nature writing and thinking as a result of her works on the sea.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Similar charges were leveled against several other rival candidates ahead of the election, spurring accusations of authoritarianism and corruption against Pashinyan’s government.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2026
The force of that earthquake six years ago traveled several hundred miles away to South Florida cut the workday short for employees in several buildings and spurring some road shutdowns.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026
Compounding those issues are rising fuel costs, all spurring intense financial scrutiny.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 3 June 2026
Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 June 2026
China dominates the global drone supply chain, spurring Taiwan to build a domestic ecosystem, with the island’s exports to Europe surging in the last two years.
—Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
Indeed, instead of spurring action, the slogans sometimes substitute for it.
—Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
The race to sway their decisions is spurring some strange experiments.
—Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
In the 21st century, Carson remains a cultural touchstone, not only spurring generations of people in the global environmental movement but also inspiring a deep well of nature writing and thinking as a result of her works on the sea.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Similar charges were leveled against several other rival candidates ahead of the election, spurring accusations of authoritarianism and corruption against Pashinyan’s government.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2026
The force of that earthquake six years ago traveled several hundred miles away to South Florida cut the workday short for employees in several buildings and spurring some road shutdowns.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026
Compounding those issues are rising fuel costs, all spurring intense financial scrutiny.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurring
Verb
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Solorzano was arrested last week after allegedly stabbing Kenyon Kareem-Shemar Dobie on the light rail system during an argument.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
11 Dec. 2025
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Federal immigration charge in light rail stabbing The FBI said Solorzano-Garcia goes by multiple names, including Oscar Solorazano, Kevin Garcia and Oscar Gerardo Garcia.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Earlier this year, the Mars Odyssey captured a dazzling image showing an unprecedented view of a 12-mile-high volcano poking through clouds at dawn on the red planet.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Starting in 2000, the Steelers, Jets, Colts, Ravens, Broncos all took turns poking the bear that was the dynasty-era Patriots, and, occasionally, drew blood.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Anthropic’s Claude wanted to know whether my headache was tension-related, due to sinus pressure, or something else entirely—hardly a goading question.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Guthrie, her fiancé, took to casually goading Loeb about how Twysden now spurned him, while Loeb accepted the insults with a stoic passivity, mooning over Twysden, the others felt, like a lovesick puppy.—
Tony Perrottet,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Near the end of the October hearing, with prodding from the judge, Bruno sounded ready to accept the university’s settlement offer and move on with his life.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
8 Dec. 2025
-
PepsiCo is making the changes after prodding from Elliott Investment Management, which took a $4 billion stake in the company in September.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Remove barberry plants by digging, hand-pulling, or using a weed wrench.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Dec. 2025
-
Trump later previewed his hosting duties for the Kennedy Center Honors program, which is set for Sunday, by digging at late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.—
Zach LaChance,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In extreme cases, like intentionally punching another player, a referee can go straight to a red card and eject a player from the match.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
Former Broncos outside linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite is no longer facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly punching a Denver Police officer in 2024 at Denver International Airport, but the officer is still suing him over the incident.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Summer in New York has a way of nudging even my all-black wardrobe in a more colorful direction, inspiring me to experiment with brighter shades—if only on my nails (which, in my book, absolutely counts as a pop of color).—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
6 June 2026
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No subscription to manage, no annual price increases to absorb, and no AI features nudging you toward the cloud.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The chute dragged the skydiver backward, knocking the camera operator off the plane and into free fall.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
12 Dec. 2025
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And that's to say nothing of the mental health impacts on children in these workers' care, especially when ICE agents come knocking on school and child care center doors, Norton adds.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spurring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurring. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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