inspire
Americanverb (used with object)
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inspires,
present (3rd person singular)
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inspired,
past participle, past
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inspiring
present participle
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to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence.
His courage inspired his followers.
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to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.).
to inspire confidence in others.
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to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc..
to inspire a person with distrust.
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to influence or impel.
Competition inspired her to greater efforts.
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to animate, as an influence, feeling, thought, or the like, does.
They were inspired by a belief in a better future.
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to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence.
writings inspired by God.
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to guide or control by divine influence.
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to prompt or instigate (utterances, acts, etc.) by influence, without avowal of responsibility.
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to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc..
a philosophy that inspired a revolution.
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to take (air, gases, etc.) into the lungs in breathing; inhale.
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Archaic.
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to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing (usually followed byinto ).
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to breathe into or upon.
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verb (used without object)
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inspires,
present (3rd person singular)
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inspired,
past participle, past
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inspiring
present participle
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to give inspiration.
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to inhale.
verb
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to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon (a person); animate or invigorate
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(tr; foll by with or to; may take an infinitive) to arouse (with a particular emotion or to a particular action); stir
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(tr) to prompt or instigate; give rise to
her beauty inspired his love
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(tr; often passive) to guide or arouse by divine influence or inspiration
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to take or draw (air, gas, etc) into the lungs; inhale
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archaic (tr)
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to breathe into or upon
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to breathe life into
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inspirernoun
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reinspireverb
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preinspireverb (used with object)
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inspirableadjective
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inspirativeadjective
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pseudoinspiringadjective
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uninspiringadjective
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inspiringlyadverb
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uninspiringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inspiresimple
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inspiressimple
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have inspiredperfect
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has inspiredperfect
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am inspiringprogressive
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are inspiringprogressive
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is inspiringprogressive
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have been inspiringperfect progressive
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has been inspiringperfect progressive
Past
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inspiredsimple
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had inspiredperfect
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was inspiringprogressive
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were inspiringprogressive
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had been inspiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of inspire
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English inspiren, from Latin inspīrāre “to breathe upon, breathe into,” equivalent to in- in- 2 ( def. ) + spīrāre “to breathe”
Explanation
The Olympics often inspire people to take up a sport, but they can also inspire patriotism. Inspire means to excite, encourage, or breathe life into. Inspire comes from the Latin word that means to inflame or to blow in to. When you inspire something, it is as if you are blowing air over a low flame to make it grow. A film can be inspired by a true story. Studying for your test will inspire confidence in you. Successful people often have a role model who inspired them to greatness. Who inspires you?
Vocabulary lists containing inspire
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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:
Maybe “Lanterns” can inspire us with its portrayal of worthiness.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
There’s a world where A.I.-assisted short films could improve in quality and possibly inspire less-recognized creatives to realize their ambitions.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
She hopes Mold-a-Central will inspire a “whole slew” of similar vintage machines to return to L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"It's a natural phenomenon that will have been witnessed by humanity forever, so it's something that will inspire people."
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
He could use his writing to inspire acts of patriotism and bravery.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Volunteer Chelsea Johnson said she hoped the project inspires more people to become interested in astronomy once the site open.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
As John McKay, a musicologist, writes, “the very idea” of such a device inspires “a sense of awe and wonder.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“She’s such a badass professional. It was so fun because she inspires me to also be more flexible and creative.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Regardless of how he fares this week, Howard says his Open debut will be worthwhile if it inspires other people with cystic fibrosis to chase their dreams.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The sort of day that inspires confidence in the state of the world.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
“Wherever in the world you’re spending your day, I hope you feel inspired and invigorated,” Laufey wrote in a note on her “A Very Laufey Day” website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The success of Brewis's app, and the creation of others like it, suggests the dramatic recent ebb and flow of Westminster may have inspired a popular new sub-genre.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The home, which was built in 1980, was always meant to serve as a relaxing sanctuary, having been inspired by Balinese architecture.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
It’s also somehow appropriate that AI-driven business pressures inspired this mascot, who has been described as “giving enterprise AI a more human face” even though he himself is partly AI-generated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The English played well, but the Americans played better, and contested every inch of the ground as strongly as if the spirit of ’76 inspired them.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
“You are inspiring a dozen people for every person that criticizes you.”
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
He said he had grown up with a "fascination" with planes after his father had taken him to air shows at RAF St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, inspiring him to join the RAF.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Known as the "Skype mafia" effect, founders and early employees took the experience they gained from the company and went on to start their own companies, inspiring others to do the same.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
The inspiring tale of a forgotten hero: In 1990, a single dad got fed up with the billboards for cigarettes targeting Chicago’s Black neighborhoods.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
The personality of Mr. Tuffett was less inspiring: he was a disappointed man, a frustrated professor of education with no sympathy for young people.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
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.
