spur

[ spur ]

/ spɜr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spur ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a U-shaped device that slips over and straps to the heel of a boot and has a blunt, pointed, or roweled projection at the back for use by a mounted rider to urge a horse forward.

anything that goads, impels, or urges, as to action, speed, or achievement.

climbing iron.

Ornithology. a stiff, usually sharp, horny process on the leg of various birds, especially the domestic rooster, or on the bend of the wing, as in jacanas and screamers.

Pathology. a bony projection or exostosis.

a sharp piercing or cutting instrument fastened to the leg of a gamecock in cockfighting; gaff.

Physical Geography. a ridge or line of elevation projecting from or subordinate to the main body of a mountain or mountain range.

something that projects and resembles or suggests a gaff; sharp projection.

a short or stunted branch or shoot, as of a tree.

Typography. a short, seriflike projection from the bottom of the short vertical stroke in the capital G in some fonts.

wing dam.

Botany.

a slender, usually hollow, projection from some part of a flower, as from the calyx of the larkspur or the corolla of the violet.
Also called spur shoot. a short shoot bearing flowers, as in fruit trees.

Architecture.

a short wooden brace, usually temporary, for strengthening a post or some other part.
any offset from a wall, as a buttress.
griffe².

Ceramics. a triangular support of refractory clay for an object being fired.

Railroads. spur track.

verb (used with object), spurred, spur·ring.

to prick with or as if with a spur or spurs; incite or urge on: The rider spurred his mount ruthlessly. Appreciation spurs ambition.

to strike or wound with the spur, as a gamecock.

to furnish with spurs or a spur.

verb (used without object), spurred, spur·ring.

to goad or urge one's horse with spurs or a spur; ride quickly.

to proceed hurriedly; press forward: We spurred onward through the night.

RELATED WORDS

freely, spontaneously

Nearby words

spunbonded, spunk, spunkie, spunky, spunware, spur, spur blight, spur gall, spur gear, spur gearing, spur on

Idioms

on the spur of the moment, without deliberation; impulsively; suddenly: We headed for the beach on the spur of the moment.

win one's spurs, to achieve distinction or success for the first time; prove one's ability or worth: Our team hasn't won its spurs yet.

Origin of spur

before 900; (noun) Middle English spure, Old English spura; cognate with Old High German sporo, Old Norse spori spur; akin to spurn; (v.) Middle English spuren, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR spur

1, 2 goad.

2 incitement, stimulus, incentive, inducement, provocation, instigation.

16 goad, provoke, stimulate, impel, inspire, induce, instigate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spur ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR spur

16 discourage.

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Related formsspur·less, adjectivespur·like, adjectivespur·rer, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for on the spur of the moment

spur

/ (spɜː) /

noun

a pointed device or sharp spiked wheel fixed to the heel of a rider's boot to enable him to urge his horse on

anything serving to urge or encouragethe increase in salary was a spur to their production

a sharp horny projection from the leg just above the claws in male birds, such as the domestic cock

a pointed process in any of various animals; calcar

a tubular extension at the base of the corolla in flowers such as larkspur

a short or stunted branch of a tree

a ridge projecting laterally from a mountain or mountain range

a wooden prop or a masonry reinforcing pier

another name for groyne

Also called: spur track a railway branch line or siding

a short side road leading off a main roada motorway spur

a sharp cutting instrument attached to the leg of a gamecock

on the spur of the moment on impulse

win one's spurs

history to earn knighthood
to prove one's ability; gain distinction

verb spurs, spurring or spurred

(tr) to goad or urge with or as if with spurs

(intr) to go or ride quickly; press on

(tr) to injure or strike with a spur

(tr) to provide with a spur or spurs

Word Origin for spur

Old English spura; related to Old Norse spori, Old High German sporo

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

Word Origin and History for on the spur of the moment (1 of 2)

spur

Old English spura, spora (related to spurnan "to kick," see spurn), from Proto-Germanic *spuron (cf. Old Norse spori, Middle Dutch spore, Dutch spoor, Old High German sporo, German Sporn "spur"), from PIE *spere- "ankle" (see spurn).

Generalized sense of "anything that urges on, stimulus," is from late 14c. Meaning "a ridge projecting off a mountain mass" is recorded from 1650s. "Widely extended senses ... are characteristic of a horsey race." [Weekley] Expression on the spur of the moment (1801) preserves archaic phrase on the spur "in great haste" (1520s). To win one's spurs is to gain knighthood by some valorous act, gilded spurs being the distinctive mark of a knight.

Word Origin and History for on the spur of the moment (1 of 2)

spur

c.1200, from spur (n.). Related: Spurred; spurring.

Medicine definitions for on the spur of the moment

spur

[ spûr ]

n.

A spine or projection from a bone.

Science definitions for on the spur of the moment

spur

[ spûr ]

A small ridge that projects sharply from the side of a larger hill or mountain.

A projection from a bone, as on the heel of the foot.

Idioms and Phrases with on the spur of the moment (1 of 2)

on the spur of the moment

Impulsively, without prior preparation, as in He decided to join a tour to England on the spur of the moment. This expression alludes to the goading action of a spur to a horse. [Late 1700s]

Idioms and Phrases with on the spur of the moment (2 of 2)

spur

In addition to the idiom beginning with spur

spur on

also see:

on the spur of the moment
win one's spurs

spur

noun

verb (used with object), spurred, spur·ring.

verb (used without object), spurred, spur·ring.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of spur

British Dictionary definitions for on the spur of the moment

spur

noun

verb spurs, spurring or spurred

Word Origin for spur

Word Origin and History for on the spur of the moment (1 of 2)

spur

Word Origin and History for on the spur of the moment (1 of 2)

spur

Medicine definitions for on the spur of the moment

spur

n.

Science definitions for on the spur of the moment

spur

Idioms and Phrases with on the spur of the moment (1 of 2)

on the spur of the moment

Idioms and Phrases with on the spur of the moment (2 of 2)

spur