inspire
Americanverb (used with object)
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inspires,
present (3rd person singular)
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inspired,
past participle, past
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inspiring
present participle
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to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence.
His courage inspired his followers.
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to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.).
to inspire confidence in others.
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to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc..
to inspire a person with distrust.
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to influence or impel.
Competition inspired her to greater efforts.
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to animate, as an influence, feeling, thought, or the like, does.
They were inspired by a belief in a better future.
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to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence.
writings inspired by God.
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to guide or control by divine influence.
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to prompt or instigate (utterances, acts, etc.) by influence, without avowal of responsibility.
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to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc..
a philosophy that inspired a revolution.
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to take (air, gases, etc.) into the lungs in breathing; inhale.
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Archaic.
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to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing (usually followed byinto ).
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to breathe into or upon.
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verb (used without object)
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inspires,
present (3rd person singular)
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inspired,
past participle, past
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inspiring
present participle
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to give inspiration.
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to inhale.
verb
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to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon (a person); animate or invigorate
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(tr; foll by with or to; may take an infinitive) to arouse (with a particular emotion or to a particular action); stir
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(tr) to prompt or instigate; give rise to
her beauty inspired his love
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(tr; often passive) to guide or arouse by divine influence or inspiration
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to take or draw (air, gas, etc) into the lungs; inhale
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archaic (tr)
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to breathe into or upon
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to breathe life into
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inspirernoun
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reinspireverb
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preinspireverb (used with object)
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inspirableadjective
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inspirativeadjective
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pseudoinspiringadjective
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uninspiringadjective
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inspiringlyadverb
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uninspiringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inspiresimple
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inspiressimple
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have inspiredperfect
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has inspiredperfect
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am inspiringprogressive
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are inspiringprogressive
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is inspiringprogressive
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have been inspiringperfect progressive
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has been inspiringperfect progressive
Past
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inspiredsimple
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had inspiredperfect
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was inspiringprogressive
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were inspiringprogressive
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had been inspiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of inspire
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English inspiren, from Latin inspīrāre “to breathe upon, breathe into,” equivalent to in- in- 2 ( def. ) + spīrāre “to breathe”
Explanation
The Olympics often inspire people to take up a sport, but they can also inspire patriotism. Inspire means to excite, encourage, or breathe life into. Inspire comes from the Latin word that means to inflame or to blow in to. When you inspire something, it is as if you are blowing air over a low flame to make it grow. A film can be inspired by a true story. Studying for your test will inspire confidence in you. Successful people often have a role model who inspired them to greatness. Who inspires you?
Vocabulary lists containing inspire
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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:
But in the meantime, such incidents risk becoming workaday stories that no longer inspire widespread outrage.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
O'Neill's famed ability to problem-solve and inspire has deserted him, for now.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
But a good employee also knows how to read a room, build trust with others, and inspire people who disagree to work together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
USC center Tobias Raymond’s mother died of cancer when he was in the eighth grade, but her lessons on work ethic and leadership continue to inspire him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
She’d teach chemistry with jazz hands and finger puppets if she thought that would inspire us.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
“I hope her example inspires more people from different backgrounds to get involved.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Taking your peers into battle every week requires leadership that inspires respect and admiration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Gráinne McGuinness, Creative Director at Paper Owl Films, said she hopes the cartoon, which has been in the making for six years, inspires change in society.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
You should expect no less for Raising Cane’s, a chicken-finger spot that inspires something close to religious devotion among its growing flock.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
The sort of day that inspires confidence in the state of the world.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Motown inspired musician Jalen Ngonda took home the prize for best breakthrough act, while Jim Legxacy bagged best EP for black British music, which included hit tracks like '06 Wayne Rooney.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
A jump in tech stocks Monday was inspired by the rapid adoption of Meta’s Muse AI assistant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
When you give people a future worth believing in, they go build it — or sometimes they get inspired to imagine other hopeful destinations and lead us toward them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
That strange feature inspired Schrödinger's famous thought experiment involving a cat that is both alive and dead until it is observed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
Either way, I inspired someone to do something.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Ms. Singer describes what she believes is the inspiring addition of a course called AP Computer Science Principles to school offerings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Zwick: The book has a bunch of cool stories that are fun to read, inspiring in a lot of cases, and sometimes maddening.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
"I simply want to measure, for the first time, whether the equivalence between gravitational and inertial mass also applies to the second generation of particles -- this alone is quite an inspiring piece of work."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
John Michel, from the charity, said it was "very special" to be recognised in wills and it was "really quite inspiring when someone local" made what could be a "transformational" move.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Brother Quang remembers I was as red and fat as a baby hippopotamus when he first saw me, inspiring the name HaMa, River Horse.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
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.
