as in incentive
something that arouses action or activity
seeing a Broadway play for the first time was the stimulus for her career in the theater
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Recent Examples of stimulus
With previous federal stimulus checks, individuals earning up to $75,000 and couples earning up to $150,000 received full payments.
—
Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Feb. 2026
For a new stimulus check to happen, Congress would need to pass legislation authorizing it.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
The reason could be that modern environments contain more interesting stimuli or that modern gasoline no longer contains lead.
—Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
However, the stimulus comes at the cost of higher interest rates.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stimulus
Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Feb. 2026
For a new stimulus check to happen, Congress would need to pass legislation authorizing it.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
The reason could be that modern environments contain more interesting stimuli or that modern gasoline no longer contains lead.
—Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026
However, the stimulus comes at the cost of higher interest rates.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stimulus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stimulus
Noun
-
Profit drives much of our health care system, and the gap between social need and market incentives is evident to anyone navigating insurance forms, rising copays, or surprise bills.—
Scott Levenson,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
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Among other benefits, China’s lower tariff rate reduces the incentive for companies to shift production to other countries in Asia, at least temporarily.—
Jennifer Jett,
NBC news,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Presently, supporters’ anxiety stems from an absence of impetus from their side.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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After 10-year-old Opal moves with her preacher father to the tiny fictional town of Naomi, Florida, a chance encounter with a stray dog at the local Winn-Dixie grocery store is the impetus for making friends and ultimately coming to terms with the changes in her life.—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But Skinner, with the encouragement of other property owners, decided to fight back.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
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Hazel swung the lamp in her hand and looked contemptuously at Ginny, surrounded by the naturalists and the teachers, who whispered encouragement.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Posters of past individual state wrestling champions hang in the Lumpkin County gym to serve as motivation for current wresters, and Nora and Greta’s posters, second and third from right on the wall, respectively, count among them.—
Jason Getz,
AJC.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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The motivation behind their murder spree and AI fuckery is muddled at best.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stimulus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stimulus. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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