spur
1a 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.
Also called climbing spur . 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.
something that projects and resembles or suggests a gaff; sharp projection.
Physical Geography. a ridge or line of elevation projecting from or subordinate to the main body of a mountain or mountain range.
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.
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.
Ceramics. a triangular support of refractory clay for an object being fired.
Railroads. spur track.
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.
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.
Idioms about spur
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
1Other words for spur
Opposites for spur
Other words from spur
- spurless, adjective
- spurlike, adjective
- spurrer, noun
Words Nearby spur
Other definitions for spur (2 of 2)
a batch of newly made rag-paper sheets.
Origin of spur
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use spur in a sentence
We can use that data to make on the spur, in-context decisions and give them the right kind of offer or channel.
Brand Summit Recap: Marketers face looming identity crisis | Digiday Editors | February 10, 2021 | DigidayExecutives facing massive technology shifts in their business have two choices—bet the company on the next era, or collect cash in a shrinking industry before hanging up their spurs.
Some of the visuals capture an issue we worked on extensively, while others capture spur–of–the–moment breaking news that we did not expect.
It’s also possible that Freeman is simply healthier this year after having surgery last fall to remove bone spurs in his elbow.
Freddie Freeman Took The Leap. Now The Braves Are One Game Away From Doing The Same. | Travis Sawchik | October 16, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightMost of the time, users write such reviews on the spur of the moment, after having a short unpleasant episode with your product or your staff.
How to turn your customer feedback into a driving force for your product | Maria Kazakova | June 18, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
And for those seeking a quick fix: Studies show that light therapy can spur a mood lift in just several days.
Did you plan on this or is this a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing?
Explosion of Cute: Inside the Superfan Mania of Hello Kitty Con 2014 | Sarah Bay Williams | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThough it had been meant to spur innovation, she said, “it became obvious that the law was actually working in reverse.”
Here Come the Smart Guns: Will New Jersey Soon Have to Sell Safer Guns? | Brandy Zadrozny | September 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNonetheless, Zarif said that any U.S. ground presence in Iraq would likely spur opposition.
“I think I sometimes acted as a spur, even though the spurring was not always wanted or welcome,” she said.
A short distance off was another ridge or spur of the mountain, widening out into almost a plateau.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonBut one battalion was isolated on a spur, from which there seemed no way of escape save under a scorching flank fire.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonQuentin Gray regarded the story of Kazmah as a very poor lie devised on the spur of the moment.
Dope | Sax RohmerThat lady turned her back upon him, and betook herself on the spur of the moment to Maude's room, determined to "have it out."
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodThese marked the river hollow, and Payne, knowing that the chase might be ended in a few more minutes, did not spare the spur.
Winston of the Prairie | Harold Bindloss
British Dictionary definitions for spur
/ (spɜː) /
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 encourage: the 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 road: a 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
(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
Origin of spur
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with spur
In addition to the idiom beginning with spur
- spur on
also see:
- on the spur of the moment
- win one's spurs
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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