stimulate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to rouse to action or effort, as by encouragement or pressure; spur on; incite.
A childhood summer learning program was the first thing to stimulate his interest in mathematics.
-
Physiology, Medicine/Medical. to excite (a nerve, gland, etc.) to its functional activity.
-
to invigorate (a person) by a food or beverage containing a stimulant such as coffee or tea.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
(tr; usually passive) to fill (a person) with ideas or enthusiasm
he was stimulated by the challenge
-
(tr) physiol to excite (a nerve, organ, etc) with a stimulus
-
to encourage (something) to start or progress further
a cut in interest rates should help stimulate economic recovery
Synonym Usage
See animate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
stimulabilitynoun
-
stimulaternoun
-
stimulationnoun
-
stimulatornoun
-
overstimulateverb
-
interstimulateverb (used with object)
-
prestimulateverb (used with object)
-
restimulateverb (used with object)
-
superstimulateverb (used with object)
-
nonstimulableadjective
-
self-stimulatedadjective
-
stimulableadjective
-
stimulativeadjective
-
unstimulableadjective
-
unstimulatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
stimulatesimple
-
stimulatessimple
-
have stimulatedperfect
-
has stimulatedperfect
-
am stimulatingprogressive
-
are stimulatingprogressive
-
is stimulatingprogressive
-
have been stimulatingperfect progressive
-
has been stimulatingperfect progressive
Past
-
stimulatedsimple
-
had stimulatedperfect
-
was stimulatingprogressive
-
were stimulatingprogressive
-
had been stimulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stimulate
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin stimulāt(us) “goaded” (past participle of stimulāre “to goad, incite,” from stimulus stimulus ( def. ) ); see -ate 1
Explanation
If the economy is starting to stall, the president can't just sit there. He has to stimulate—turn it on, bring it to life, perk it up. You can stimulate practically anything: a person, a conversation, a mind, or even the growth of a plant. Stimulate is often used to describe a physical or sexual sensation, but don't get bogged down in that kind of thinking. Often, a government will try to stimulate economic activity by creating a stimulus package. Or, say, for example, that I'm trying to sell my new song CD. In order to stimulate interest, I need to send out a sample song to all my friends. Unless, of course, my songs are no good.
Vocabulary lists containing stimulate
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Game Changer
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Warsh has been a longstanding critic of purchasing assets to stimulate economic activity, known as quantitative easing, when interest rates are pinned near zero.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings,” Miyazaki once said, “that they can stimulate, amaze and inspire their listeners.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Generally, controversy tends to stimulate fan curiosity, I would not be surprised if this leads to all-time viewing,” super-agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, among other star athletes, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The U.K. launched the Quantum Growth Alliance to stimulate commercial demand, following a $2.5 billion pledge for quantum tech.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
I told them that my release alone would not stem the violence in the country or stimulate negotiations.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Many contain large amounts of caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system and makes you feel more awake.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
"When you stimulate these serotonergic neurons, we can see that it stimulates activity in the auditory region in the brain," Trussell said.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
Also known as Ziihera, Zanidatamab is an antibody treatment for patients with a higher-than-normal level of a protein called HER2, which stimulates tumours to grow.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Fed governor Michael Barr has said that stronger productivity growth could push the neutral rate of interest—the theoretical rate that neither stimulates nor restricts growth—higher, not lower.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
When it comes to the lure of technology and the way it stimulates people, there’s one more comparison that researchers widely cite.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Five years ago, Rhi had a procedure to put a sacral nerve stimulation system in place - where the nerves controlling the bowel can be stimulated with a device implanted under the skin.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
This “Animal Farm” is ignorant of the fact that kids need to be stimulated by more than scatalogical humor to actually influence their perspectives, rather than cater to their existing tastes and knowledge.
From Salon ● May 3, 2026
Consumption would be stimulated and investors would have a reason to sell bonds and plow more funds into equities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
If I’ve been stimulated, doing a puzzle for a couple of hours is a great way to decompress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
My mind was stimulated, my spirit was full, and I seriously woke up every single day excited to learn something new.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
On the other hand, variety can be stimulating.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Even in the absence of tau, memory traces still existed and could be recovered by directly stimulating engram cells.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
IVF involves stimulating the ovaries to produce eggs, retrieving them, fertilising them in a laboratory and then implanting the resulting embryo back into the womb.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
With FAPD, the goal of treatment is decreasing the inflammation that causes irreversible scarring and, if possible, stimulating hair growth in follicles that haven’t been completely damaged.
From Slate ● May 23, 2026
The results have been tantalizing, annoying, provocative, stimulating, and, at least until recently, substantially inconclusive.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
