exhort
Americanverb (used with object)
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exhorts,
present (3rd person singular)
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exhorted,
past participle, past
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exhorting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
exhorts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhorted,
past participle, past
-
exhorting
present participle
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
-
had exhortedperfect
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was exhortingprogressive
-
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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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:
Now and again the band pauses as the musicians praise and exhort each other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
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
Psychologists understand that the quickest way to understanding someone is through their wounds, and musicians too understand this power of music to comfort, console, encourage and exhort themselves and other broken hearts.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2022
Mr. Gorbachev threw himself into the work, honing his speaking skills, often making trips around the Stavropol region to exhort young people to be good socialists and believe in the party.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 30, 2022
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
Before he performs what was supposed to be his last song of the set, Elsesser exhorts the attendees to clap “one time for gratitude.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
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
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
Until then, he exhorted his students to control their own destinies, likening AI personalization to the rudder on a sailboat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 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
In an eloquent eulogy bookended by the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz and Langston Hughes, he exhorted Americans to “practice the politics of the preamble to the Constitution” as the “only way” to honor Lewis’ life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2024
He continuously exhorted them to get out of Idaho, to not give up.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Then Becket’s mom dies, too, but not before exhorting him to make sure he lives “the right kind of life.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
She wound it up by exhorting everyone to put their efforts into electing Barack Obama:
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2024
And now, here she was - seemingly a middle-aged woman - exhorting Tamilians across the world to take forward the political struggle for their freedom.
From BBC ● May 15, 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
He talked and talked, sometimes exhorting Chacho to come toward his voice, sometimes only rambling on about his childhood.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
