Synonyms of urge

urge 1 of 2

verb

ˈərj 

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

• encourage
• nudge
• exhort
• prompt
• spur
• push
• goad
• egg (on)
• coax
• prod
• implore
• propel
• press
• stimulate
• hurry
• beseech
• provoke
• drive
• rush
• importune
• cajole
• pressure
• hustle
• adjure
• incite
• nag
• wheedle
• needle
• instigate
• stir (up)
• foment
• high-pressure
• soft-soap
• blandish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discourage
• deter
• check
• restrain
• dissuade
• brake
• curb
• inhibit
• constrain
• hold back

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

• desire
• craving
• longing
• thirst
• hunger
• appetite
• passion
• wish
• yearning
• itch
• compulsion
• drive
• hankering
• lust
• need
• taste
• impulse
• love
• yen
• zeal
• appetency
• pining
• will
• thirstiness
• eagerness
• jones
• want
• liking
• letch
• requirement
• impulsion
• impatience
• necessity
• weakness
• obsession
• greed
• cupidity
• rapacity
• avarice
• greediness
• acquisitiveness
• avidity
• covetousness
• mania
• rapaciousness
• avariciousness
• cacoëthes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hatred
• disgust
• nausea
• dislike
• revulsion
• repulsion
• repugnance
• disinclination
• allergy
• distaste
• loathing
• aversion
• abhorrence
• indifference
• abomination
• disfavor
• disliking
• apathy
• averseness
• unconcern
• nonchalance
• insouciance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of urge

Verb

The Plastic Free Foundation has an initiative every July urging people to reduce plastic waste through simple, everyday choices. — Catherine Salfino, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026

Officials ordered about 42,000 people to evacuate their homes, and another 40,000 were placed under evacuation warnings and urged to leave the area. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026

Noun

However, holding pee for a long period of time and ignoring the urge to go might increase the risk of certain problems, such as urinary tract infections. — Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 14 Aug. 2026

Our research team found that, in abstaining mice, this urge to drink is preceded by changes in the activity of a particular brain region, pointing to potential new screening opportunities to identify and help those most vulnerable to relapse. — Marie Doyle, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2026