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View synonyms for

inspire

[ in-spahyuhr ]

verb (used with object)

inspired, inspiring.
  1. to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence:

    His courage inspired his followers.

  2. to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.):

    to inspire confidence in others.

  3. to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc.:

    to inspire a person with distrust.

  4. to influence or impel:

    Competition inspired her to greater efforts.

  5. to animate, as an influence, feeling, thought, or the like, does:

    They were inspired by a belief in a better future.

  6. to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence:

    writings inspired by God.

  7. to guide or control by divine influence.
  8. to prompt or instigate (utterances, acts, etc.) by influence, without avowal of responsibility.
  9. to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc.:

    a philosophy that inspired a revolution.

  10. to take (air, gases, etc.) into the lungs in breathing; inhale.
  11. Archaic.
    1. to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing (usually followed by into ).
    2. to breathe into or upon.


verb (used without object)

inspired, inspiring.
  1. to give inspiration.
  2. to inhale.

inspire

/ ɪˈ貹ɪə /

verb

  1. to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon (a person); animate or invigorate
  2. tr; foll by with or to; may take an infinitive to arouse (with a particular emotion or to a particular action); stir
  3. tr to prompt or instigate; give rise to

    her beauty inspired his love

  4. tr; often passive to guide or arouse by divine influence or inspiration
  5. to take or draw (air, gas, etc) into the lungs; inhale
  6. archaic.
    tr
    1. to breathe into or upon
    2. to breathe life into
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ辱پ, adjective
  • ˈ辱Բ, adverb
  • ˈ辱, noun
  • ˈ辱, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • ·辱··پ [in-, spahyuhr, -, uh, -tiv, in, -spi-rey-tiv], adjective
  • ·辱İ noun
  • ·辱iԲ· adverb
  • i·辱 verb (used with object) preinspired preinspiring
  • d··辱iԲ adjective
  • i·辱 verb reinspired reinspiring
  • ܲi·辱iԲ adjective
  • un·辱iԲ· adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of inspire1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English inspiren, from Latin Բī “to breathe upon, breathe into,” equivalent to in- in- 2( def ) + ī “to breathe”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of inspire1

C14 (in the sense: to breathe upon, blow into): from Latin Բī, from ī to breathe
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Gurr created the initial design, a “Buck Rogers”-inspired space age vehicle, as Gurr wanted it to feel sleek and ready for liftoff.

From

These neurons produce cognition by the patterns in which groups of them fire at once — a model that has inspired advanced computers and AI.

From

She was inspired to take action after seeing the cost of some dresses rise to more than £200.

From

“Good News Mass,” which seems inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s eclectic “Mass,” written for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971, could, like it, effectively expand its presentation theatrically and choreographically rather than cinematically.

From

The group recorded 19 studio albums, including its highly regarded 1978 LP, “Dub Housing,” and 1979’s “New Picnic Time,” a stressful and abrasive record that helped inspire acts like Sonic Youth.

From

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