encourage
Americanverb (used with object)
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encourages,
present (3rd person singular)
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encouraged,
past participle, past
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encouraging
present participle
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to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence.
His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.
- Antonyms:
- dishearten, discourage
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to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc..
One of the chief duties of a teacher is to encourage students.
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to promote, advance, or foster.
Poverty often encourages crime.
verb
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to inspire (someone) with the courage or confidence (to do something)
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to stimulate (something or someone to do something) by approval or help; support
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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encouragementnoun
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encouragernoun
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overencourageverb (used with object)
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preencourageverb (used with object)
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reencourageverb (used with object)
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encouragingadjective
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unencouragedadjective
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unencouragingadjective
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well-encouragedadjective
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encouraginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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encouragesimple
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encouragessimple
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have encouragedperfect
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has encouragedperfect
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am encouragingprogressive
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are encouragingprogressive
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is encouragingprogressive
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have been encouragingperfect progressive
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has been encouragingperfect progressive
Past
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encouragedsimple
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had encouragedperfect
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was encouragingprogressive
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were encouragingprogressive
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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
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Body Language: Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart")
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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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’m on the same side with the storytellers who encourage people to think,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"Exempting the family home however much it's worth will just encourage older people to concentrate their savings in their home, prevent downsizing, and so further gum up the housing market," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The result was uncertainty for legitimate businesses and, more important, an environment that would encourage the development of more FTXs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The physical motion created while walking could also contribute by triggering reflexes that encourage the intestines to become more active.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026
“Why do you encourage her like that, Gil?”
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
Turkey is curating an "action agenda" alongside the negotiations that encourages countries to support non-binding pledges on issues from artificial intelligence to waste management.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Bonds may receive a bid later in 2027, when the stock market slide eventually encourages a move into havens, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
“Promising Young Woman” is not a compare-and-contrast film, where overly didactic morality coaching encourages the viewer to say, “Ah, yes, now I understand rape culture.”
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
Dale Richardson, a police fraud protect officer, encourages families to be "curious but not confrontational".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
This gives long shots a better chance, and thus encourages more wagering.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Coming down hard on Pages was a change of tune for Roberts, who early in the season encouraged Dodgers hitters to be more aggressive making challenges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Beneath the gumline, adding those signals encouraged later colonizing species associated with disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
The principal lecturer in public health at Canterbury Christ Church University said she hoped the initiative promoted and encouraged other people to set up phone box libraries.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Cratering sales in China, the world’s largest car market, have encouraged its manufacturers to look for growth overseas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Duke and Duchess played many themselves, and they also encouraged their servants to come up with ideas of their own.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
"People want to support and be there for everybody, which is really encouraging," he added.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Given the available information, scientists say it is encouraging that no other cases have been reported, though that doesn’t mean they haven’t happened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“The charts of bitcoin, and other leading cryptos, continue to look encouraging from a technical point of view,” David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation, said in recent emailed notes to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Visitors were later stopped from taking photographs and a recorded message was introduced encouraging people to continue moving through the one-way exhibition.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
“You have the clues, Nell,” she said with an encouraging nod.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
