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

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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

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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
China's Industry Ministry urged entities to review security gaps. — Kate Bartlett, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026 Anyone with information about the killings was urged to call the Elk Grove Police Department at 916-627-3111. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Noun
Snapping open and shut the phone satisfied some deep, restless urge, and the same was true for the rotational flourish of the wrist involved in opening and closing the knife. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026 But if the urge to work up a sweat arises, there’s a heated outdoor swimming pool and a full-size grass tennis court. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 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
  • Palestine Action founder Huda Ammori encouraged joining offshoot groups to circumvent the ban, the Telegraph reported.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Meta encourages its users to name their AIs—and encourages its AIs to think like humans.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of encourage
Noun
  • In order to be helpful, Muse constantly builds extensive dossiers of users and their desires, social relationships, and messaging behaviors, TIME’s Harry Booth reported this month.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This offbeat tendency doesn’t preclude a desire to make a big splash, of course.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of desire
Noun
  • The books below will satisfy your bog witch cravings, while also reminding you of the real-world importance of bogs as bulwarks against climate change, cradles of biodiversity, and keepers of ancestral memory.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Another is Gimme Gummy, a craving for squishy, jelly-like textures in everything from candy to phone cases.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of craving
Noun
  • He’s also fully equipped with human foibles, including a longing for celebrity.
    — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • As private longing collides with honor and social codes, each character has to reckon with what their choices cost.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of longing
Noun
  • There was no nasty DM needed or a post calling out the fan's thirst.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But neither remedy has removed the need for fossil fuels and no price spike has changed the thirst for oil.
    — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of thirst
Noun
  • Johnson, for instance, says the firm’s research with the the Immersive Experience Institute has shown a hunger in younger generations to embrace spaces such as the Rainforest Cafe.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The brothers operate Feed A Family, a program that fights hunger and food insecurity in Mexico.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of hunger

Browse Nearby Words

urchins
urge
urged
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Cite this Entry

“Urge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/urge. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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