encourage
Americanverb (used with object)
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to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence.
His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.
- Antonyms:
- dishearten, discourage
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to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc..
One of the chief duties of a teacher is to encourage students.
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to promote, advance, or foster.
Poverty often encourages crime.
verb
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to inspire (someone) with the courage or confidence (to do something)
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to stimulate (something or someone to do something) by approval or help; support
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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encouragementnoun
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encouragernoun
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overencourageverb (used with object)
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preencourageverb (used with object)
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reencourageverb (used with object)
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encouragingadjective
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unencouragedadjective
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unencouragingadjective
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well-encouragedadjective
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encouraginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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encouragesimple
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encouragessimple
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have encouragedperfect
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has encouragedperfect
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am encouragingprogressive
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are encouragingprogressive
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is encouragingprogressive
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have been encouragingperfect progressive
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has been encouragingperfect progressive
Past
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encouragedsimple
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had encouragedperfect
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was encouragingprogressive
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were encouragingprogressive
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had been encouragingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of encourage
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English encoragen, from Anglo-French, Middle French encorag(i)er; see en- 1 ( def. ), courage ( def. )
Explanation
When you encourage someone, you give him or her the courage or confidence to do something, like when you encourage your little brother to play harder by yelling his name from the sidelines of the soccer field. The word encourage comes from the Old French word encoragier, meaning "make strong, hearten." When you encourage the tomato plants in your garden, you water them to promote their growth and health. Encourage can also mean to inspire with hope, like when you encourage your friends to try out for the school play by complimenting their singing and acting talents.
Vocabulary lists containing encourage
Motherlode: A Mother's Day Lexicon
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Body Language: Cor, Cord, Cardio ("Heart")
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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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:
We encourage all readers to speak with their physicians, their local organ procurement organizations and their families about organ donation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
It also made him want to speak out publicly and to encourage others to do the same, to break the cycle of silence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Last year organisers ASO introduced a circuit which takes on a cobbled climb over the city's famous Montmartre hill, changing the parcours enough to encourage the heavier, more powerful riders to challenge for victory.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Programs that encourage employees or customers to adopt greener habits do not appear to weaken support for broader climate action.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Elizebeth adored them both and tried to encourage them in every way she could.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
"I think that creating the videos honestly encourages me to do that more."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Its main tool to achieve this is the economy's key interest rate -- raising rates tends to curtail economic activity and high prices, while lowering them encourages hiring and investment but can also stoke inflation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Speaking at the Time 100 Sports gala, LeBron James expresses gratitude to USC staff members who saved Bronny after 2023 cardiac arrest and encourages others to be prepared for such emergencies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The scarcity of extreme first-day pops on IPOs encourages Lamont that speculative euphoria may be absent at present.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Turn left on Eagle Lake Drive,” Loretta encourages.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
The Times refers to the rejigged curriculum proposal as "Burnham's 'hard hat' schools", saying that "children as young as 14 will be encouraged into technical training rather than academic education".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Beijing has encouraged chip companies, including Huawei, to license their workarounds and technology so that they could learn from each other, people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Pre-match activities planned for the Wembley fan park before England's fixture against Spain in April encouraged Mark Jenkins to take his six-year-old daughters to their first professional match.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
OL slowed the growth of the abnormal fibroblasts, encouraged them to undergo apoptosis, and reduced their release of inflammatory cytokines.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
He encouraged them all to step up and feel it.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
“While still very early, booking trends for 2027 are encouraging and pacing ahead of historical levels, including for itineraries where demand was impacted by geopolitical developments this year,” Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Experts say there are some commonsense changes California could make to speed up its vote counts, including better funding county election offices and encouraging earlier voting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
If his mother were still alive today, he says, she would be out on the streets, encouraging every eligible American to exercise their right to vote, in spite of Callais.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
And in Italy, encouraging children to be more active can be surprisingly difficult.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
On Tuesday morning when the mayor met again with Floyd McKissick and the student leaders he had encouraging news.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
