inspire

[ in-spahyuh r ]

/ ɪnˈspaɪər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR inspire ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.

to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence: His courage inspired his followers.

to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.): to inspire confidence in others.

to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc.: to inspire a person with distrust.

to influence or impel: Competition inspired her to greater efforts.

to animate, as an influence, feeling, thought, or the like, does: They were inspired by a belief in a better future.

to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence: writings inspired by God.

to guide or control by divine influence.

to prompt or instigate (utterances, acts, etc.) by influence, without avowal of responsibility.

to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc.: a philosophy that inspired a revolution.

to take (air, gases, etc.) into the lungs in breathing; inhale.

Archaic.

to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing (usually followed by into).
to breathe into or upon.

verb (used without object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.

to give inspiration.

to inhale.

Origin of inspire

1300–50; Middle English inspiren < Latin inspīrāre to breathe upon or into, equivalent to in- in-² + spīrāre to breathe

OTHER WORDS FROM inspire

in·spir·a·tive

[in-spahyuh r-uh-tiv, in-spi-rey-tiv] /ɪnˈspaɪər ə tɪv, ˈɪn spɪˌreɪ tɪv/, adjective in·spir·er, noun in·spir·ing·ly, adverb pre·in·spire, verb (used with object), pre·in·spired, pre·in·spir·ing.

pseu·do·in·spir·ing, adjective re·in·spire, verb, re·in·spired, re·in·spir·ing. un·in·spir·ing, adjective un·in·spir·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby inspire

inspirator, inspiratory, inspiratory capacity, inspiratory reserve volume, inspiratory stridor, inspire, inspired, inspired gas, inspirit, inspissate, inspo

Example sentences from the Web for inspiring

Yet to hear one of the victims so publicly rejecting the kinds of terms used in the past was inspiring.

Jennifer Lawrence’s Righteous Fury Says Everything We Wanted to Say |Kevin O’Keeffe |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Tickets go on sale to the public January 15; check back then for a link and an early peek at the inspiring lineup of speakers.

Save the Date: Women in the World 2015 | |December 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
There are plenty of tragic and inspiring choices, but the most obvious legacy Castro will leave behind is the broken family.

The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind |Brin-Jonathan Butler |December 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Inspiring others to follow in their footsteps is one of the best parts of the gig, the drivers said.

The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture |Eliza Krigman |November 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Her bouts with cancer—all three of them—were inspiring, heartbreaking, and, most of all, real.

MTV’s Diem Brown Dies: When Reality TV Starts Getting Real |Kevin Fallon |November 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
She is sincerely glad, and yet—is she incapable of inspiring a lasting regard?

Floyd Grandon's Honor |Amanda Minnie Douglas
That curiosity, that wonder, of which Aristotle speaks as the inspiring spirit of philosophy, is dead.

A Critical History of Greek Philosophy |W. T. Stace
The entire mountain in all its inspiring detail lay at his feet, a wonder spectacle of first magnitude.

The Book of the National Parks |Robert Sterling Yard
General Seeley was in command through two trying days and nights, inspiring the officers and men with his courage and activity.

The Story of the Great War, Volume VIII (of VIII) |various
The monument is one hundred and fifty-four feet high, and has a noble and inspiring grace and grandeur.

With the World's Great Travellers, Volume IV |Various

British Dictionary definitions for inspiring

inspire

/ (ɪnˈspaɪə) /

verb

to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon (a person); animate or invigorate

(tr; foll by with or to; may take an infinitive) to arouse (with a particular emotion or to a particular action); stir

(tr) to prompt or instigate; give rise to her beauty inspired his love

(tr; often passive) to guide or arouse by divine influence or inspiration

to take or draw (air, gas, etc) into the lungs; inhale

(tr) archaic

to breathe into or upon
to breathe life into

Derived forms of inspire

inspirable, adjective inspirative, adjective inspirer, noun inspiringly, adverb

Word Origin for inspire

C14 (in the sense: to breathe upon, blow into): from Latin inspīrāre, from spīrāre to breathe

Medical definitions for inspiring

inspire

[ ĭn-spīr′ ]

v.

To draw in breath; to inhale.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

inspire

verb (used with object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.

verb (used without object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.

Origin of inspire

OTHER WORDS FROM inspire

Words nearby inspire

Example sentences from the Web for inspiring

British Dictionary definitions for inspiring

verb

Derived forms of inspire

Word Origin for inspire

Medical definitions for inspiring

v.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

inspire

verb (used with object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.

verb (used without object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.

Origin of inspire

OTHER WORDS FROM inspire

Words nearby inspire

Words related to inspiring

Example sentences from the Web for inspiring

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for inspiring

verb

Derived forms of inspire

Word Origin for inspire

Medical definitions for inspiring

v.

British Dictionary definitions for inspiring