spur — to encourage someone or urge them to take action
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to encourage someone or urge them to take action
Pronunciation (IPA): /spɜːr/
Example Sentences
- The smell of pizza spurred my lazy roommate to finally leave his room.
- Competition from other companies spurred them to develop better products.
- She bought those expensive shoes on the spur of the moment and regretted it immediately.
spur
VERB[/spɜːr/]
to encourage someone or urge them to take action

The coach's fiery speech spurred the tired team into a final sprint.

Her touch on soft fur made him purr, then spur into action!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old English 'spura' and Old Norse 'spori', both meaning a device worn on a rider's heel. Related to Proto-Germanic '*spuron', ultimately from an Indo-European root meaning 'to kick' or 'to spring'.
Breakdown
spur (noun/verb) - a single morpheme with no productive internal structure in modern English, though historically derived from Proto-Germanic '*spuron' meaning 'to kick or thrust'
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The smell of pizza spurred my lazy roommate to finally leave his room.”
“Competition from other companies spurred them to develop better products.”
“She bought those expensive shoes on the spur of the moment and regretted it immediately.”
“The government's tax cuts were designed to spur economic recovery.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related
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