1
as in impetus
something that arouses action or activity
the threat of losing its only sports franchise was the spur the city council needed to finally do something about the rising crime rate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in support
a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else
a weak wall that might need a spur
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spur
Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
After his eventual arrest in an Altoona, PA McDonalds, spurred by a tip from a worker who recognized Mangione, the restaurant was swamped with negative reviews and had to hire private security to protect workers, Newsweek reported.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2025
Out sprawled a wild sea of glass eyes, silver spurs and mystery elixirs locked into filmy jars.
—Sara Georgini, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spur
Verb
Although Trump believes the tariffs will spur American manufacturing, many economists worry the large-scale tariffs could further hurt a weakening economy, send the stock market plummeting and lead to a recession.
—Noun
Freeman underwent surgery on Nov. 30 to remove the chip and shave down the spurs.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for spur
Verb
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Police said evidence found at the scene indicated the man was stabbed near a bus stop in the 100 block of 11th Street.—
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Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, said he was stabbed in the heart and died in his twin brother’s arms.—
Noun
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Use this as an impetus to dig deep into your brand’s strategy, to diversify it, to reinforce any weak points—to be bold, get creative and innovate.—
-
Pray that this can be an impetus for his conversion.—
Noun
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Comedian and car aficionado Jay Leno drove state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, in a 1976 Pontiac Trans-Am past the state Capitol on Tuesday, rallying support for legislation that would ease restrictions on classic cars.—
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But there was a sense of hope, rather than expectation, among the home support as the players walked out on a crystal clear spring evening in North London.—
Verb
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Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
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My personal trainer pushes me physically and forces me to dig deep.—
Noun
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As such, there is little incentive for non-citizens to try to vote, Levitt said.—
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Trump says tariffs will force other countries to lower their own rates on U.S. goods and services, creating a more balanced economic playing field for U.S. exports and a strong incentive for companies to manufacture goods such as cars inside the U.S. to avoid paying the tax.—
Verb
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Hector had been poking fun at Lisa’s special interest: Taylor Swift.—
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Carrick’s penalty proved costly, as neither Trocheck nor Braden Schneider could muscle Point away from poking a puck past Shesterkin’s pad.—
Noun
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With Alex's encouragement and support, Spencer makes the difficult decision to stay behind and fight for the future of his family's ranch.—
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In return the buying club would receive Ferguson’s attendance at every home and away match as well as phonecalls offering encouragement to the team’s manager and players.—
Noun
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Turing Award: The award, often called the Nobel Prize of computing, was given to Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton, the developers of a technique called reinforcement learning that is vital to chatbots.—
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By engaging employees in the process of creating their own learning plans and using them as a guideline for managing that person, managers establish a cycle of positive reinforcement that has tangible benefits.—
Cite this Entry
“Spur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spur. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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