SPURS Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

spurs 1 of 2

verb

Definition of spurs next

present tense third-person singular of spur

as in stabs

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

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spurs

2 of 2

noun

plural of spur

as in incentives

something that arouses action or activity the threat of losing its only sports franchise was the spur the city council needed to finally do something about the rising crime rate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in supports

a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else a weak wall that might need a spur

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 spurs

Verb

What few efforts do exist to address alcohol’s harms have been overshadowed by the opioid crisis, a parallel drug epidemic that attracts more funding, spurs more policy change, and garners more media attention despite being vastly less deadly. —

Lev Facher, STAT, 12 May 2026 The Handling Speciale, at least on paper, only spurs that sentiment on. —

Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2026 Any diamond spurs questions about its carat size, which experts believe can be anywhere between five and 10 carats. —

Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026 Bart Jansen Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said authorities are prepared to combat political violence but that rhetoric spurs acts of violence. —

Christopher Cann, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026 South Korea’s import prices posted their biggest surge in nearly three decades, underscoring the scale of cost pressures rippling through the economy as the Iran war spurs a spike in oil and weighs on the won. —

Heesu Lee, Bloomberg, 15 Apr. 2026 Finally, royal jelly—yet another one of nature’s anti-aging heroes—spurs the production of collagen, thus restoring a youthful bounce to aging skin. —

Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026 The hormone insulin is a peptide that moves sugar from the bloodstream into cells; GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, spurs the pancreas to release insulin and slows the passage of food through the gut. —

Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026 This, of course, only causes more heel-digging — nothing spurs divisiveness like a lack of clarity. —

Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026

Noun

Spain’s Rif War, where future Spanish dictator Francisco Franco won his spurs, served as a crucible for the values and military tactics of the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War where Franco treated his Republican enemy with the same humanity dealt out to Rif inhabitants. —

John Hopewell, Variety, 12 May 2026 Columbine is an early-season bloomer with nectar-rich spurs, giving your garden a head start in spring. —

Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026 Pairing it with columbine, an early-season bloomer with nectar-rich spurs, ensures your garden has food available from the start. —

Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026 Columbine — An early-season bloomer with nectar-rich spurs, perfect for getting hummingbird activity started in spring. —

Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026 The veterinarian said there is no medical reason for the birds to have been live plucked or to have their spurs cut so short. —

S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026 As K-pop spurs franchises, copycat spinoffs and big studio blockbusters, the system that propelled K-culture’s rise could stumble if its authenticity starts to waver. —

Dan Bilefsky, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026 Males carry venomous spurs on their hind legs. —

Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026 Read about Keldon Johnson, the Spurs’ sixth man who owns a ranch outside the city and wears actual spurs, and Stephon Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year, who already, at 21 years old, owns a piece of a soccer franchise. —

Tim Rohan, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurs

Verb

The shower curtain opens, revealing an old woman, who stabs and decapitates Mary.

— Therie Hendrey-Seabrook, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026
But this person who was a friend, who owes her career to me, just stabs me in the back.

— Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026