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:
The WSJ Leadership Institute’s Megan Graham reports for the newsletter on a new bid to encourage radio advertising:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Environmental advocates counter that additional fossil fuel production can encourage more consumption and delay the energy transition.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
"We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App."
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
We have a few great ones in SoCal I encourage everyone to explore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
See Simple Rhythm Activities2 for easy ways to encourage children to explore rhythm.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
State law bars prosecuting people who erroneously end up on the rolls, and if the government later encourages them to vote, there’s an entrapment defense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Amyloid beta places additional stress on nerve cells, and that stress encourages the formation of more inactive GRK2 and more GRK2 aggregates.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
It encourages physical activity throughout the day, cooking fresh, local ingredients, and sitting down for a slow meal with family and friends.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
"Nothing encourages having even a single child," said Jaouadi, a civil servant, blaming Tunisia's current economic woes and social climate.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Second, it encourages a healthy fear of humans—discouraging the cubs from wandering onto farms and being shot by farmers protecting their livelihoods.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
He is also encouraged by Western Digital’s plan to return all of its free cash flow to shareholders after it invests in research and development.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
According to the Journal, the brand had leftover perishable inventory that Netflix employees were encouraged to take home before the partnership dissolved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Banks were encouraged to hoard these reserves both by black-letter liquidity regulations and by strenuous winking and nodding by their supervisors at the Fed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
"Instead, skilled and experienced shipbuilders are being encouraged to leave as those in charge send contracts everywhere but here."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
I was more encouraged than at any time since Nollie’s arrest as I rode the train back to Haarlem.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
There was an encouraging performance from the new Honda engine in the Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso ending the session 12th fastest and 1.562secs down.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“There are encouraging signs of rising demand for AI-related tech goods and rising equipment demand thanks to higher defense spending,” said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Harbaugh was understandably subdued, especially on the heels of a more encouraging performance in a preseason opener at Houston.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Bejar is the first witness to take the stand and has argued that the company prioritized profits over safety by encouraging people to spend more and more time on Facebook and Instagram.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
No matter how much she’d pulled and begged and whispered encouraging words, he hadn’t budged.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
