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Synonyms

inspire

American

[in-spahyuhr] / ɪnˈspaɪər /

verb (used with object)

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

verb (used without object)

to give inspiration.
to inhale.

inspire British

/ 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 to

her 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
archaic (tr)
1. to breathe into or upon
2. to breathe life into

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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?

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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:

inspire inspires inspired inspiring

But, the author tells us, it was Bell, through Holmes’s creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, who would inspire generations of real-life forensic detectives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

She said she hoped her journey would inspire others to get involved in groups working to protect the ocean.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

"We hope this new research will inspire solutions that keep corals healthy long enough to enable full recovery after heat waves through slower processes such as growth, reproduction, and recruitment of new colonies."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

He's grateful to see the facility shut down, and hopes that Canada's ban will inspire changes in other countries.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

“She was a computer programmer. I have a book about her that my dad got me. I think he’s trying to inspire me to work with computers instead of animals,” she laughs.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Nothing about your letter inspires confidence in your father-in-law’s confusing and, frankly, murky situation.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

Naturally its setting inspires both score and story.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

In the joke that inspires the special’s title, she measures an Instagram comment’s subzero value in a wide scope, lampooning the communal yet cartoonish nature of our endless scroll.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

Is it any wonder that a city that favors make-believe would take to a holiday that inspires elaborate set dressings and creative costumes, the latter a chance to take on a role other than ourselves?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The genome project, in turn, inspires attempts to understand human variation and “normal” behavior in terms of genes.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

A college dropout, Adams was inspired to start working in public radio after encountering “All Things Considered” as a listener.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

He said Wales had inspired him to get into ceramics, with his mum having had a passion for pottery too.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Fields was inspired by listening to “Voodoo” at Shibuya and wishing that he could talk about it with the other attendees.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

This A24 hit, based on a YouTube series that was inspired by a viral photo of an eerily yellow room, turns nostalgia into a nightmare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

The figures on the right are inspired by the African masks.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Participants are served food and drinks, with each event inspiring a signature cocktail.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

Ayla Herrero, a 26-year-old anthropologist helping at the camp's infirmary, said it was "inspiring for us to know that we're inspiring other people, that it doesn't just stay here".

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026

We saw her face the most difficult challenges, and she did it with so much grace and strength that it became, on top of everything else, a very inspiring story.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

This 1980s box-office flop is inspiring cross-country pilgrimages and crashing websites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

The article was inspiring and many teachers throughout the country responded by inviting us to speak at their schools.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023