exhort
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have exhortedperfect
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has exhortedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been exhortingperfect progressive
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is exhortingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been exhortingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am exhortingprogressive 1st person singular
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exhortssingular 3rd person
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are exhortingprogressive
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exhortingparticiple
Past
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had exhortedperfect
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was exhortingprogressive singular
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were exhortingprogressive plural
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had been exhortingperfect progressive
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exhortedsimple
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exhortedparticiple
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
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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.
Exhort the possibility of a “motherhood advantage” to your friends.
From Slate • Jun. 26, 2018
Exhort him I may, but persuade him I cannot; for love admits neither of counsel nor reason.
From Rosalynde or, Euphues' Golden Legacy by Baldwin, Edward Chauncey
Exhort yourself in like manner; expect the same fortitude of yourself.
From The Essentials of Spirituality by Adler, Felix
Exhort thou the servants of God unto that whereunto We have exhorted thee that they may abstain from whatsoever is forbidden them in the Mother Book.
From Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas by Bahá'u'lláh
The Grecians gaze around with wild despair, Confused, and weary all the powers with prayer: Exhort their men, with praises, threats, commands; And urge the gods, with voices, eyes, and hands.
From The Iliad by Pope, Alexander
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.
