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
The group and left-wing student organisations had urged supporters to gather at the Central Park in New Delhi’s busy Connaught Place shopping and food district on Friday evening to wave and hoist the national flag. — CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 The group and left-wing student organizations had urged supporters to gather at the Central Park in New Delhi’s busy Connaught Place shopping and food district on Friday evening to wave and hoist the national flag. — Reuters, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
The shelter concluded its post by warning people to resist any urge to catch the snake. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026 Bagent, though, will also have to resist the urge to press on Sunday, an understandable temptation given the aggravating, albeit minor, interruptions to his growth over the past two months. — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 3 Oct. 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
  • Mitte encouraged people to open up with each other and be candid about their feelings.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Sepesi hopes the worldwide attention surrounding the Pope's diagnosis will encourage more people to learn about lung cancer.
    — Tori Mason, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of encourage
Noun
  • Trump has expressed his desire to acquire Greenland since 2019 and, during his second term, issued threats to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally.
    — Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Gray Wielebinski’s new site-specific Production (2026) will transform the fair’s public toilets into an intimate olfactory environment, where scent, bodily function, privacy, desire, and surveillance will converge.
    — Jade Wilson, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of desire
Noun
  • The books below will satisfy your bog witch cravings, while also reminding you of the real-world importance of bogs as bulwarks against climate change, cradles of biodiversity, and keepers of ancestral memory.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Another is Gimme Gummy, a craving for squishy, jelly-like textures in everything from candy to phone cases.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of craving
Noun
  • He’s also fully equipped with human foibles, including a longing for celebrity.
    — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • As private longing collides with honor and social codes, each character has to reckon with what their choices cost.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of longing
Noun
  • There was no nasty DM needed or a post calling out the fan's thirst.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But neither remedy has removed the need for fossil fuels and no price spike has changed the thirst for oil.
    — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of thirst
Noun
  • Hardware demand Despite these concerns, the sector's hunger for chips doesn't seem to be letting up, as seen in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's record quarter.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Jasper, in Chicago, understands the risk of silencing those hunger cues.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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