exhort
Americanverb (used with object)
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exhorts,
present (3rd person singular)
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exhorted,
past participle, past
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exhorting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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exhorts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhorted,
past participle, past
-
exhorting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exhortsimple
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exhortssimple
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have exhortedperfect
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has exhortedperfect
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am exhortingprogressive
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are exhortingprogressive
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is exhortingprogressive
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have been exhortingperfect progressive
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has been exhortingperfect progressive
Past
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exhortedsimple
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had exhortedperfect
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was exhortingprogressive
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were exhortingprogressive
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had been exhortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exhort
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English ex(h)orte, from Latin exhortārī “to encourage greatly,” from ex- ex- 1 + hortārī “to encourage, urge”
Explanation
French roots for the word exhort mean "thoroughly encourage," so to exhort is to fill up with encouragement! "When he heard the crowd exhort him with stomping and cheers, he knew that he could finish the marathon." Some synonyms for exhort include stimulate, excite, and urge on. Words and shouts can exhort, and this is especially true when the recipient of those chants fears coming up short with an effort. Exhortations may make the difference between winning or losing and marching on or giving up. A sergeant might exhort his troops after a defeat just as a dad can exhort his daughter after a missed note during a piano recital.
Vocabulary lists containing exhort
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The Scarlet Letter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In the next mile, as drivers transition from the highway to Keawe Street and Honapiilani Highway, several signs thank first responders, exhort the community to be strong and call for tourists to show respect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2024
There was a time when he would commonly exhort Congress to pass border legislation:
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2024
Her story appeared in Chinese social media despite digital and human censors and prompted commentators to exhort national media to highlight the scandal.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
They will talk and they will exhort but Davos is about bringing people together, at least a certain class of people, and for now divisive pressures are strong.
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2023
They may exhort potential customers to “Compare Our Prices! ” but they’re not eager to have workers do the same with wages.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Notaro frequently exhorts listeners to watch the show on YouTube, which she said is a “joking nudge” to listeners and a running gag among the hosts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
On record, “Express Yourself” is a battering ram of industrial-funk encouragement; it exhorts the listener to create his or her own destiny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
Around every bend are tiny rewards - a copse of trees with the Olympic rings poking out, a tiny reflecting-pool shrine that exhorts people to “remember here those who gave their lives for peace.”
From Washington Times ● Sep. 23, 2023
Bishop Timothy Clarke, pastor of First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, frequently exhorts his predominantly African American congregation to respect those with opposing views.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
There’s nothing to do but try to ignore the nasty stuff soaking my foot and, as Ted exhorts us, work through it.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Dubai Mall, one of the largest in the world, was crowded with shoppers on a recent weekend, exhorted by optimistic and patriotic signs suggesting the war was nothing but a bad memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
“We all matter,” Nichols exhorted the gathering of thousands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
“How will she remember this?” she exhorted her students.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
The imperative of continuing hefty Western military and financial assistance to Ukraine was underscored repeatedly by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who exhorted participants to act, as he rushed from one high-level meeting to the next.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2024
We were exhorted to obey God, respect the political authorities, and be grateful for the educational opportunities afforded to us by the church and the government.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Another man shouted on the phone, exhorting a family member to leave and that he would go in and take his stead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
Then Becket’s mom dies, too, but not before exhorting him to make sure he lives “the right kind of life.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
She wound it up by exhorting everyone to put their efforts into electing Barack Obama:
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2024
And now, here she was - seemingly a middle-aged woman - exhorting Tamilians across the world to take forward the political struggle for their freedom.
From BBC ● May 15, 2024
Throughout the Farewell Address Washington had been exhorting Americans to think of themselves as a collective unit with a common destiny.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
