Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Management noted at the time that tariff hikes had spurred large retailers to cut back on their advertising spend, which in turn hurt Pinterest’s top line.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
Within hours, thousands had spurred into protest, especially young women.
From BBC ● May 31, 2025
Mohammad Mahmoud, the lawyer hired by Salaymah, said that although the war had spurred Israel’s judiciary to issue harsher sentences, there was still a chance Ayham could avoid prison because of his young age.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
Those remarks had spurred hopes that AMD's PC business might also show signs of recovery, but the company's results showed demand remains down.
From Reuters ● May 2, 2023
What I was hearing, in other words, was the same omnivore’s dilemma that had spurred me to write this book.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
