urge 1 of 2

verb

ˈərj How to pronounce urge (audio)
Definition of urgenext
as in to encourage
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action the public service announcement urges pet owners to spay or neuter their pets

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

urge

2 of 2

noun

as in desire
a strong wish for something I'm trying to resist the urge to eat another piece of cake

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 urge
Verb
If a beaver shows unusual aggressive behavior by approaching or charging humans or domestic animals, parkgoers are urged to be cautious. — Perri Ormont Blumberg, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 By the time Gajdusek brought his fifth child home, Ivan was at Swarthmore College, where he had been admitted after several of Gajdusek’s friends wrote letters urging his acceptance. — Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
There are shocking twists but on such a grand scale that the urge to laugh is as strong as the urge to scream. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026 In meetings, resist the urge to fill every silence; let a pause do its work. — Alfonso Cahero, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for urge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for urge
  1. encourage
  2. desire
  3. craving
  4. longing
  5. thirst
  6. hunger
Verb
  • While the colors blend in with the landscape and may draw your eye outside, the rooms also encourage procrastinating.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Lee told the Queen that her husband’s candidness has encouraged many to feel more comfortable with their own cancer journeys.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of encourage
Noun
  • Having a comfy and accommodating chair can reduce the desire to get up give you more time to get more work done.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Trump’s desire, which is to coat the granite facade with white paint, has been met with significant pushback from historians who say that covering the historic building’s granite exterior with paint could trap moisture and damage the stone.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of desire
Noun
  • But despite the evident craving for stories about L-O-V-E, literary fiction has struggled to master the art of the crossover.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
  • For kiddos and adults, fruit serves as a healthy alternative to candy, delivering vitamins, fiber, and hydration while satisfying sweet cravings.
    — Sierra Leone Starks, Parents, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of craving
Noun
  • Anemoia is essentially an imagined memory, a longing built from movies, photographs, and secondhand stories rather than lived experience.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Questions around beauty and longing recur, as do keywords (such as ‘password’), names, references and scenic features, but what fascinated me most is that in principle each episode could be read as a little patchy universe on its own.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of longing
Noun
  • What the estate has built in the 15 years since his death is a testament to the thirst for life that the artist had while on this earth.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026
  • After marking his 61st birthday with a vintage video from his 3rd birthday back in 1966, Stamos returned to thirst-trapping for his 62nd.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of thirst
Noun
  • But that disappointment comes with a whole heck of a lot of hunger for Sanchez, a senior defender who earned all-state honors last fall.
    — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Here are details on tiny frozen pancakes that promise to quash hunger and please even the pickiest of eaters and those that are likely to end up as back-seat crumbles.
    — Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of hunger

Browse Nearby Words

urchins
urge
urged
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Cite this Entry

“Urge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/urge. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of urge for Spanish Speakers

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