urge 1 of 2

verb

ˈərj How to pronounce urge (audio)
Definition of urgenext
as in to encourage
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action the public service announcement urges pet owners to spay or neuter their pets

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

urge

2 of 2

noun

as in desire
a strong wish for something I'm trying to resist the urge to eat another piece of cake

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 urge
Verb
The younger Soros backed Kamala Harris in 2024 and urged Democrats to unite behind her. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 Volcanoes National Park urged visitors to keep their distance from the unstable cliff edges to avoid putting themselves, or first responders, in danger. — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
The urge to predictively steer the forces of chaos was evenly shared between practitioners of the sciences and the arts, neighbors within the space of the casino. — Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026 Shares of the cybersecurity vendor fell both times, despite CEO George Kurtz’s defense of the company’s accounting, and our urge to focus on the fundamentals and block out the noise. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for urge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for urge
  1. encourage
  2. desire
  3. craving
  4. longing
  5. thirst
  6. hunger
Verb
  • Partnership is the guiding motif of the World Soundtrack Awards’ Film Music Days, where live performances will give cult films bold new scores and industry mixers encourage emerging composers and filmmakers to find their creative match.
    — Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The breakthrough came after Arnold Schwarzenegger encouraged Figure to melt the robots.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of encourage
Noun
  • The idea of a child receiving an injection for weight loss strikes at something deep — a desire to let children be children, free from adult burdens.
    — Babak J. Orandi, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • His desire echoes that of his boss, BBC Studios Productions chief Zai Bennett, which is to invest in around two to three of these new-look talent labels per year.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of desire
Noun
  • Although The Love Witch played around 100 theaters upon its 2016 debut, will audiences’ cravings for something different be enough to secure a wide release for The Face of Horror a decade later?
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Needing coffee immediately upon waking and experiencing afternoon fatigue, irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, and sugar cravings.
    — Marie Bladt, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of craving
Noun
  • The Incredible Hulk, the Thing, He-Man, Superman—these cartoon heroes must fulfill some kind of longing.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Despite the claims of any number of charlatans who prey on the American brand of cuddly benighted ignorance, the universe will not manifest an alternate reality for anyone who simply wishes for it with sufficient longing.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of longing
Noun
  • Naturally, many of those discussions gravitated toward data centers and AI’s thirst for electrons.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Advanced signs include anxiety, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, extreme thirst paired with panic at the sight of fluids, heavy saliva and aggressive thrashing or biting.
    — The Sacramento Bee staff, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of thirst
Noun
  • But the top scorer in league history decided his hunger for another title was greater than his desire to stay by Bronny's side.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Existing glucagonlike peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs such as semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, bind to GLP-1 hormone receptors in the brain, where the receptors help regulate hunger.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of hunger

Browse Nearby Words

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urge
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Cite this Entry

“Urge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/urge. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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