encourage
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
- encouragement noun
- encourager noun
- encouraging adjective
- encouragingly adverb
- overencourage verb (used with object)
- preencourage verb (used with object)
- reencourage verb (used with object)
- unencouraged adjective
- unencouraging adjective
- well-encouraged adjective
Etymology
Origin of encourage
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English encoragen, from Anglo-French, Middle French encorag(i)er; en- 1 ( def. ), courage ( def. )
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.
The presence of these stones also encouraged researchers to investigate further.
From Science Daily
The festival hopes to encourage artists and fans to turn to comedy, theater, creativity and community instead of despair.
From Los Angeles Times
The notion is expressed in the survey results, which found wide variation in how faculty members mention AI use in syllabuses or whether they encourage or discourage AI in classes.
From Los Angeles Times
Its client list includes Sempra, the parent company of SoCalGas, which opposed the clean air standards, which would have encouraged the sale of pollution-free heat pumps and threatened the utility’s business.
From Los Angeles Times
They also hope their work encourages scientists to think creatively about untapped data sources.
From Science Daily
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.
