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 Part of what’s spurred this breakthrough involves creatives getting to know the technology. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 In September, 75% of stocks in the S&P 500 closed in negative territory, as the threat of higher interest rates spurred investors back into a few mega-cap companies. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026 For The Times) Anti-vax policies and erosion of the nation’s public health system have spurred hundreds of doctors and scientists to seek office. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 The storm, downgraded from a Tropical Storm on Sunday, spurred several warnings from the National Weather Service, including a Coastal Flood Warning along the Southern California coast. — Austin Turner, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026 It’s been activated for the first time this year in preparation for Isaias, a hurricane that made landfall Friday evening along the Gulf Coast, which has spurred a state of emergency in Georgia. — Amy Wenk, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026 The report proposes the deal as a solution to the long-running conflict in Costilla County, which has spurred lawsuits and a breakdown in communication between the ranch’s owner, William Harrison, and the broader community. — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026 But Ellison eventually made a superior offer, spurred at least in part by Paramount’s need to gain scale in the streaming wars. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026 Martinez appeared with her attorneys at a news conference Monday, saying the various shootings spurred her to file suit. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurred

Verb

With his curiosity piqued, Rabtsevich dug through the TESS archives for more data on the same star and found an additional 22 instances of dimming.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
But Smith also failed to respect how dangerous and dug-in the Brewers are.

— Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of dug

Verb

After losing in 2024, McGinn has repeatedly raised concerns on the campaign trail about Bradley’s absence from a vote in the Senate on legislation named for the Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed on Charlotte’s light rail.

— Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026
As seen on a surveillance video, the man walked up to the victim, grabbed him, and stabbed him multiple times before fleeing from the scene.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of stabbed

Verb

Builders, prodded to work beyond city limits, adopted Olmsted’s vision for what those suburbs should look like.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Trump publicly prodded the Health secretary for an update on autism research in a Cabinet meeting last month.

— Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of prodded

Verb

As for the crack, well, that happened by accident when heavy equipment punched through a concrete wall and unintentionally punctured the sphere, company officials told The Mountaineer.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Ordinary except, of course, for that time humans punched it, opening the door for the Hera mission to explore the previously unremarkable rocks.

— Meghan Bartels, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of punched

Verb

Garrett, the best defensive player of the post-Aaron Donald era, fittingly goaded the legend out of retirement.

— Jeff Howe, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Or Pablo Picasso, goaded into radicalism by the latest bizarre creations of Matisse, retreating to the Spanish mountain village of Gósol and, mere months later, beginning work on his proto-cubist masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

— Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of goaded

Verb

In an earnings preview note, analysts at Seaport Global nudged up estimates on the view that net interest income (NII) stands to benefit from both deposit growth and higher rates.

— Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2026
The blind man nudged the ferrule of his cane into the bulk of the sleeping figure, sidestepped him deftly, and moved on to the end of the block, a stoplight, heavy traffic, cyclists, big scary trucks.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026