stimulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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stimulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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stimulated,
past participle, past
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stimulating
present participle
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to rouse to action or effort, as by encouragement or pressure; spur on; incite.
A childhood summer learning program was the first thing to stimulate his interest in mathematics.
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Physiology, Medicine/Medical. to excite (a nerve, gland, etc.) to its functional activity.
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to invigorate (a person) by a food or beverage containing a stimulant such as coffee or tea.
verb (used without object)
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stimulates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stimulated,
past participle, past
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stimulating
present participle
verb
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(tr; usually passive) to fill (a person) with ideas or enthusiasm
he was stimulated by the challenge
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(tr) physiol to excite (a nerve, organ, etc) with a stimulus
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to encourage (something) to start or progress further
a cut in interest rates should help stimulate economic recovery
Synonym Usage
See animate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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stimulabilitynoun
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stimulaternoun
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stimulationnoun
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stimulatornoun
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overstimulateverb
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interstimulateverb (used with object)
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prestimulateverb (used with object)
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restimulateverb (used with object)
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superstimulateverb (used with object)
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nonstimulableadjective
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self-stimulatedadjective
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stimulableadjective
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stimulativeadjective
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unstimulableadjective
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unstimulatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stimulatesimple
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stimulatessimple
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have stimulatedperfect
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has stimulatedperfect
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am stimulatingprogressive
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are stimulatingprogressive
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is stimulatingprogressive
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have been stimulatingperfect progressive
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has been stimulatingperfect progressive
Past
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stimulatedsimple
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had stimulatedperfect
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was stimulatingprogressive
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were stimulatingprogressive
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had been stimulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stimulate
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin stimulāt(us) “goaded” (past participle of stimulāre “to goad, incite,” from stimulus stimulus ( def. ) ); see -ate 1
Explanation
If the economy is starting to stall, the president can't just sit there. He has to stimulate—turn it on, bring it to life, perk it up. You can stimulate practically anything: a person, a conversation, a mind, or even the growth of a plant. Stimulate is often used to describe a physical or sexual sensation, but don't get bogged down in that kind of thinking. Often, a government will try to stimulate economic activity by creating a stimulus package. Or, say, for example, that I'm trying to sell my new song CD. In order to stimulate interest, I need to send out a sample song to all my friends. Unless, of course, my songs are no good.
Vocabulary lists containing stimulate
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
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"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Game Changer
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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:
I speculate that if he were alive today, he might see it as another regrettable proposal that is also likely to stimulate government growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Fertility drugs that are used to stimulate egg production for retrieval and freezing are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The experiments showed that the device could stimulate nerve cells using both blue and red light.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
Mandates can encourage deployment, but they can also inflate electricity prices, due to supply-and-demand imbalance, and stimulate imports.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
From January on, she was wrapped in a wet sheet and rubbed vigorously for five minutes every morning, which was supposed to stimulate her nervous system and circulation.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
Hydroxyurea, a drug that stimulates production of fetal hemoglobin, has been shown to reduce pain crises and other complications—but it isn’t a cure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Sculptra is particularly interesting for this theme because it stimulates collagen production, rather than simply filling wrinkles.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
"When you stimulate these serotonergic neurons, we can see that it stimulates activity in the auditory region in the brain," Trussell said.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
It is used to end pregnancies through 10 weeks gestation in combination with the drug misoprostol, which stimulates contractions and softens the cervix, allowing tissue to expel.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Knowing that it can be done stimulates you to try to do it yourself, but your eventual specific solution may or may not resemble that of the first inventor.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
That willingness resulted in excess demand that ultimately stimulated acute demand-pull inflation—that is, price increases caused by demand outpacing available goods and services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
“That’s really what stimulated the conversation of the possibility.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
"When we stimulated one bipolar cell, many bipolar cells released neurotransmitters," says Z. Jimmy Zhou, PhD, Marvin L. Sears Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and principal investigator.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Five years ago, Rhi had a procedure to put a sacral nerve stimulation system in place - where the nerves controlling the bowel can be stimulated with a device implanted under the skin.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
What was it that stimulated investors to believe that demand for Internet usage and Internet-related products would be infinite?
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
One of the most unexpected findings involved glucagon, a hormone generally known for raising blood sugar by stimulating the liver to release stored glucose.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The researchers found that stimulating the receptor with AP503 increased bone strength not only in healthy mice, but also in mice with osteoporosis-like bone loss.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
“I hope Thai people see them as tourists stimulating our economy rather than just focusing on nightlife.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
"However, the effect occurs later, and the stimulating effect is often absent," the institute advised.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
“Then I apologize, my lady! How terrible it must be to condescend to answer! Next time, I’ll try to think of something more stimulating to say.”
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
