exhort
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exhortsimple
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exhortssimple
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have exhortedperfect
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has exhortedperfect
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am exhortingprogressive
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are exhortingprogressive
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is exhortingprogressive
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have been exhortingperfect progressive
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has been exhortingperfect progressive
Past
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exhortedsimple
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had exhortedperfect
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was exhortingprogressive
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were exhortingprogressive
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had been exhortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exhort
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English ex(h)orte, from Latin exhortārī “to encourage greatly,” from ex- ex- 1 + hortārī “to encourage, urge”
Explanation
French roots for the word exhort mean "thoroughly encourage," so to exhort is to fill up with encouragement! "When he heard the crowd exhort him with stomping and cheers, he knew that he could finish the marathon." Some synonyms for exhort include stimulate, excite, and urge on. Words and shouts can exhort, and this is especially true when the recipient of those chants fears coming up short with an effort. Exhortations may make the difference between winning or losing and marching on or giving up. A sergeant might exhort his troops after a defeat just as a dad can exhort his daughter after a missed note during a piano recital.
Vocabulary lists containing exhort
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The Scarlet Letter
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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 chorus, which appears in the final movement to exhort us to cease trembling and prepare to live, proved its own inspiration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2025
Her story appeared in Chinese social media despite digital and human censors and prompted commentators to exhort national media to highlight the scandal.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
Unlike Mr. Adams, who worked solo, dozens of drummers at Oakland Coliseum exhort the A’s from their seats in both left and right field.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2023
Experts exhort producers to practice biosecurity, but Rembrandt was.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2023
He would exhort her and he would tell her all that was in his heart and still she was gentle.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Notaro frequently exhorts listeners to watch the show on YouTube, which she said is a “joking nudge” to listeners and a running gag among the hosts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Around every bend are tiny rewards - a copse of trees with the Olympic rings poking out, a tiny reflecting-pool shrine that exhorts people to “remember here those who gave their lives for peace.”
From Washington Times ● Sep. 23, 2023
Around every bend are tiny rewards — a copse of trees with the Olympic rings poking out, a tiny reflecting-pool shrine that exhorts people to “remember here those who gave their lives for peace.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 23, 2023
She doesn’t have an answer, but she exhorts us not to give up the fight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2023
There’s nothing to do but try to ignore the nasty stuff soaking my foot and, as Ted exhorts us, work through it.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
“We all matter,” Nichols exhorted the gathering of thousands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Official propaganda exhorted citizens to face their lives and their duty to the Fatherland with endurance and perseverance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Speaking at Davos earlier, Zelensky exhorted Europe to do more to ensure its own security, saying: "Europe loves to discuss the future but avoids taking action".
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
Importantly, he exhorted artists to always remain true to themselves.
From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2026
We're off to the movies or to Capri's for an ice cream and just hanging out, the boys much exhorted to take care of the ladies.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Gildas, as Mr. Higham relates, likened post-Roman Britain to ancient Israel, exhorting his countrymen to “renew their compact with God and thereby recover His favor and, in consequence, their ancestral homeland.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
After exhorting his team to meet fear, fatigue and pressure with energy, Bunting did the same.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025
She wound it up by exhorting everyone to put their efforts into electing Barack Obama:
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2024
Bird was greeted by rapturous cheers, firing up the crowd with an exuberant speech exhorting them to carry him to the governor’s office in November.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 20, 2024
At the sight of the three of them nipping and rolling on the carpet, exhorting each other with socially useful phrases such as “Pass the salt, please!” and “May I take your umbrella?”
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
