encourage

[ en-kur-ij, -kuhr- ]

/ ɛnˈkɜr ɪdʒ, -ˈkʌr- /

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See synonyms for: encourage / encouraged / encourages / encouraging on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), en·cour·aged, en·cour·ag·ing.

to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence: His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR encourage

1 embolden, hearten, reassure.

2 urge; support, aid, help.

See synonyms for encourage on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR encourage

1 discourage, dishearten.

See antonyms for encourage on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of encourage

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English encoragen, from Anglo-French, Middle French encorag(i)er; see en-¹, courage

OTHER WORDS FROM encourage

en·cour·ag·er, nounen·cour·ag·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·en·cour·age, verb (used with object), o·ver·en·cour·aged, o·ver·en·cour·ag·ing.pre·en·cour·age, verb (used with object), pre·en·cour·aged, pre·en·cour·ag·ing.

re·en·cour·age, verb (used with object), re·en·cour·aged, re·en·cour·ag·ing.un·en·cour·aged, adjectiveun·en·cour·ag·ing, adjectivewell-en·cour·aged, adjective

How to use encourage in a sentence

When he traveled to Fort Bragg and USS Gerald Ford this week, he encouraged people to take off their masks, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Nancy Youssef.
The acting Pentagon chief was exposed to the coronavirus. He’s not quarantining.|Alex Ward|November 20, 2020|Vox
All the participants were encouraged to practice social distancing.
That new study saying masks might not be effective? It has a few caveats.|Kate Baggaley|November 20, 2020|Popular-Science
“We encourage investors to consider homeowners’ strengthened emotional attachment to their properties,” wrote Jefferies analyst Jonathan Matuszewski.
How Lowe’s and Home Depot plan to keep growing even after the COVID home improvement boom|Phil Wahba|November 20, 2020|Fortune
University officials are encouraging students who are taking in-person classes or conducting research on campus to not travel for the holiday.
Morning Report: County Digs in to Keep COVID Data Private|Voice of San Diego|November 19, 2020|Voice of San Diego

In a way, the use of this surveillance technology is becoming a sort of global arms race between the public and authority figures, both hoping to peel back the cover of anonymity to encourage good behavior.
Citizens are turning face recognition on unidentified police|Tate Ryan-Mosley|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
She was a professional and effortless encourager of writers.
Nora Ephron Memorial: Warm, Funny Tributes by Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and Rosie O’Donnell|Rebecca Dana|July 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She had the virtue of being a liberal patron of the arts and an encourager of artistic merit wherever she found it.
The Old Furniture Book|N. Hudson Moore
That great virtuoso and encourager of gardening, Mr. Secretary Johnson, at Twickenham.
On the Portraits of English Authors on Gardening,|Samuel Felton
Dans ce pays-ci il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral pour encourager les autres.
Impressions And Comments|Havelock Ellis
Which, being done, he passed the sheet along the form pour encourager les autres.
St. Winifred's|Frederic W. Farrar
He was an amateur painter, a patron of the fine arts, and the encourager of struggling genius.
The Story of Seville|Walter M. Gallichan

British Dictionary definitions for encourage

encourage

/ (ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ) /

verb (tr)

to inspire (someone) with the courage or confidence (to do something)

to stimulate (something or someone to do something) by approval or help; support

Derived forms of encourage

encouragement, nounencourager, nounencouraging, adjectiveencouragingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

encourage

OTHER WORDS FOR encourage

OPPOSITES FOR encourage

Origin of encourage

OTHER WORDS FROM encourage

Words related to encourage

How to use encourage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for encourage

Derived forms of encourage