encourage
Americanverb (used with object)
-
encourages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
encouraged,
past participle, past
-
encouraging
present participle
-
to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence.
His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.
- Antonyms:
- dishearten, discourage
-
to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc..
One of the chief duties of a teacher is to encourage students.
-
to promote, advance, or foster.
Poverty often encourages crime.
verb
-
to inspire (someone) with the courage or confidence (to do something)
-
to stimulate (something or someone to do something) by approval or help; support
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
encouragementnoun
-
encouragernoun
-
overencourageverb (used with object)
-
preencourageverb (used with object)
-
reencourageverb (used with object)
-
encouragingadjective
-
unencouragedadjective
-
unencouragingadjective
-
well-encouragedadjective
-
encouraginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
encouragesimple
-
encouragessimple
-
have encouragedperfect
-
has encouragedperfect
-
am encouragingprogressive
-
are encouragingprogressive
-
is encouragingprogressive
-
have been encouragingperfect progressive
-
has been encouragingperfect progressive
Past
-
encouragedsimple
-
had encouragedperfect
-
was encouragingprogressive
-
were encouragingprogressive
-
had been encouragingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of encourage
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English encoragen, from Anglo-French, Middle French encorag(i)er; see en- 1 ( def. ), courage ( def. )
Explanation
When you encourage someone, you give him or her the courage or confidence to do something, like when you encourage your little brother to play harder by yelling his name from the sidelines of the soccer field. The word encourage comes from the Old French word encoragier, meaning "make strong, hearten." When you encourage the tomato plants in your garden, you water them to promote their growth and health. Encourage can also mean to inspire with hope, like when you encourage your friends to try out for the school play by complimenting their singing and acting talents.
Vocabulary lists containing encourage
Motherlode: A Mother's Day Lexicon
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Body Language: Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart")
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Despite widespread efforts to encourage people to limit salt, average sodium consumption continues to exceed recommended levels.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
Online retailers have published terms and conditions saying they do not accept stolen goods and encourage users to report suspicions if they believe items listed for sale are stolen.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
This brought lower fares and more passengers, a trend further fueled by increased service, network expansion, population growth and public subsidies designed to encourage rail travel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
So the cheaper option in most cases is to buy the bag of fun-sized treats — and encourage kids not to be greedy in how much they grab.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
“It suggests that parents encourage children to play in the playground. You have been using the playground, haven’t you?”
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
The document encourages the AI to explore the idea that it is humanlike and experiences feelings, and uses excessively humanizing language for Claude “to be a good person.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Mindfulness meditation encourages people to observe their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without immediately judging or reacting to them.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
It encourages the public to report suspected waste crime to its incident hotline or via its website.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
It also perversely encourages allies to reduce their use of American military hardware as soon as they can.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
New information about Japanese genetics and language origins, accumulating since the book’s first publication, now encourages me to test how Japan fits into my overall framework.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
US Protestant missionaries encouraged Sagada's residents to bury their dead and light candles on their graves, he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
“The doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery,” she added.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
Late one afternoon, at the intersection of South La Brea Avenue and Obama Boulevard, Shirley Dace cold-called fellow Angelenos and encouraged them to give L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Her mum encouraged her ambitions, even when they seemed a long way from the world of television.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
When he asked what should such fellows as he do crawling between earth and heaven, he was encouraged with loud cries of “Hear, hear!”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Across the country, nonpartisan groups are holding last-minute voting events, encouraging people to fill out their ballots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
They added that the king will "primarily focus on encouraging practical solutions and united efforts to address global challenges and opportunities".
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
However, the Scottish government agency said there were many encouraging signs of natural recovery among other species following the fire.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
That’s encouraging from a contrarian point of view, since market tops often are accompanied by stubbornly held bullishness.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
Rupa gave her brother an encouraging pat on the shoulder before following Ma behind the sari.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
