Thesaurus results for SPURRED

spurred

verb

Definition of spurred

past tense of spur

as in dug

to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object gently spurred the horse with his heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 spurred His grandson's election as vice president of the United States spurred pride in the Midwestern city, though Vance has faced some pushback to his portrayal of it in the book. — ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026 That’s spurred interest in whether TRT could hold benefits for older men. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026 The 25th anniversary of the attacks has spurred many news organizations to offer a broader array of programming, which in most years is largely tied to comemmoration. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026 In September, Abbott issued an executive order on THC that spurred the new regulations. — Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 This spring, the county released the findings of two personnel investigations into Curtis’ conduct that were spurred by concerns raised by elections employees and their union representatives. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026 The sharp increase in the need for mental health services, along with the wave of police reforms, spurred departments nationwide to find better ways to respond to personal crises. — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 The comments spurred questions about the aide's influence and unusually close proximity to the president. — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 And the jeers that White received from the home crowd at the end of pregame introductions might have spurred energy from the Fever players before and after the tilt. — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurred

Verb

Pits are frequently dug by hand and can reach several meters deep.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Rescuers dug through debris looking for anyone buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in the Muslim-majority country.

— Firdia Lisnawati, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of dug

Verb

His parents were fatally stabbed in their home in Los Angeles’ Brentwood neighborhood in December.

— Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 18 Aug. 2026
An Australian teen was stabbed repeatedly in an apparently largely unprovoked attack early Monday morning inside a McDonald's in New York City, police sources said.

— Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of stabbed

Verb

In the 2024 playoffs, Carrington poked Fever phenom Caitlin Clark in the eye.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.

— Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

Two people who saw the surveillance video recognized the man who punched Wilson as Harris, and one knew him from previous assaults in the area, the complaint said.

— Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 13 Aug. 2026
By Wednesday, Carter said, fallen branches had punched several holes through roofs across the campus, including the administration building.

— Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of punched

Verb

The highlight of the two going up against each other came when Shough threw a ball up for grabs along the right sideline that Olave came down with, but Downs knocked it out at the last second.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2026
Police surrounded the area, knocked repeatedly and called Brown by name, but no one answered.

— Christopher Harris, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026