1
: wearing spurs
2
: having one or more spurs
a spurred violet

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, 54, is standing trial for the murders of his wife and son, a case that has exposed years of fraudulent behavior and spurred investigations into three other deaths. Theara Coleman, The Week, 27 Jan. 2023 That said, overall investment in healthcare is really just back to 2019 levels, a seeming regression to the mean after the pandemic spurred investment capital into areas like drug development, telehealth and other parts of the healthcare industry. Alex Knapp, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023 The sharp rise in home prices during the pandemic spurred owners to hike rents to maintain profits. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 10 June 2022 While that absenteeism, and Congress’s inaction, spurred frustration among locals, the impact at the ballot box was mixed. Catarina Saraiva, Dallas News, 10 Nov. 2022 Millions remain under flood warnings and thousands are without power from the severe weather that has turned roads into rivers, spurred rockfalls and mudslides and forced thousands from their homes. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 11 Jan. 2023 His latest Twitter poll seemed spurred on by some erratic decisions leading up to his demise. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2022 With native grasses and plants returning and newly spurred cattails along streambanks, change is occurring naturally in the area surrounding Fossil Creek. Jake Frederico, The Arizona Republic, 13 Dec. 2022 Israel isn’t the first country where fingerprints found during archaeological research have elicited curiosity and spurred questions about who left them behind. Hillel Kuttler, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spurred.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spurred was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near spurred

Cite this Entry

“Spurred.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spurred. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

spurred

adjective
1
: wearing spurs
2
: having one or more spurs
a spurred violet
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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