inspire

[ in-spahyuhr ]

/ ɪnˈspaɪər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: inspire / inspired / inspires / inspiring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.

to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence: His courage inspired his followers.

to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.): to inspire confidence in others.

to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc.: to inspire a person with distrust.

to influence or impel: Competition inspired her to greater efforts.

to animate, as an influence, feeling, thought, or the like, does: They were inspired by a belief in a better future.

to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence: writings inspired by God.

to guide or control by divine influence.

to prompt or instigate (utterances, acts, etc.) by influence, without avowal of responsibility.

to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc.: a philosophy that inspired a revolution.

to take (air, gases, etc.) into the lungs in breathing; inhale.

Archaic.

to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing (usually followed by into).
to breathe into or upon.

verb (used without object), in·spired, in·spir·ing.

to give inspiration.

to inhale.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of inspire

1300–50; Middle English inspiren<Latin inspīrāre to breathe upon or into, equivalent to in-in-² + spīrāre to breathe

OTHER WORDS FROM inspire

in·spir·a·tive

[in-spahyuhr-uh-tiv, in-spi-rey-tiv], /ɪnˈspaɪər ə tɪv, ˈɪn spɪˌreɪ tɪv/, adjectivein·spir·er, nounin·spir·ing·ly, adverbpre·in·spire, verb (used with object), pre·in·spired, pre·in·spir·ing.

pseu·do·in·spir·ing, adjectivere·in·spire, verb, re·in·spired, re·in·spir·ing.un·in·spir·ing, adjectiveun·in·spir·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use inspire in a sentence

William Butler Yeats once called Carlyle “the chief inspirer of self-educated men.”
Hitler's Bedtime Reading|Timothy Ryback|October 17, 2008|DAILY BEAST
But for that, Mishkin would have succeeded, and the great inspirer of the youth of Russia would have been given back to the world.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
He is the offspring of Heaven and Earth, the two worlds; is the inspirer of prayer and the guide and protector of the pious.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
The priest was possibly his inspirer; but the priest came one day to the residencia.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI|Robert Louis Stevenson

But, on the other hand, it is emphatically true that this same folk-music was to him a potent inspirer and trainer.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
He has been an inspiration to France, the inspirer of the nations.
American Sketches|Charles Whibley

British Dictionary definitions for inspire

inspire

/ (ɪnˈspaɪə) /

verb

to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon (a person); animate or invigorate

(tr; foll by with or to; may take an infinitive) to arouse (with a particular emotion or to a particular action); stir

(tr) to prompt or instigate; give rise toher beauty inspired his love

(tr; often passive) to guide or arouse by divine influence or inspiration

to take or draw (air, gas, etc) into the lungs; inhale

(tr) archaic

to breathe into or upon
to breathe life into

Derived forms of inspire

inspirable, adjectiveinspirative, adjectiveinspirer, nouninspiringly, adverb

Word Origin for inspire

C14 (in the sense: to breathe upon, blow into): from Latin inspīrāre, from spīrāre to breathe

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

Medical definitions for inspire

inspire

[ ĭn-spīr′ ]

To draw in breath; to inhale.

inspire

Origin of inspire

OTHER WORDS FROM inspire

Words related to inspire

How to use inspire in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inspire

Derived forms of inspire

Word Origin for inspire

Medical definitions for inspire