stimulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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Physiology, Medicine/Medical. to excite (a nerve, gland, etc.) to its functional activity.
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to invigorate (a person) by a food or beverage containing a stimulant such as coffee or tea.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr; usually passive) to fill (a person) with ideas or enthusiasm
he was stimulated by the challenge
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(tr) physiol to excite (a nerve, organ, etc) with a stimulus
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to encourage (something) to start or progress further
a cut in interest rates should help stimulate economic recovery
Related Words
See animate.
Other Word Forms
- interstimulate verb (used with object)
- nonstimulable adjective
- overstimulate verb
- prestimulate verb (used with object)
- restimulate verb (used with object)
- self-stimulated adjective
- stimulability noun
- stimulable adjective
- stimulater noun
- stimulation noun
- stimulative adjective
- stimulator noun
- superstimulate verb (used with object)
- unstimulable adjective
- unstimulated adjective
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. ) ); -ate 1
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.
They asked whether the body could be prompted to create a temporary "factory" that produces the same T cell stimulating signals typically made by the thymus.
From Science Daily
China’s Ministry of Finance announced increased government spending to stimulate consumer demand, but investors remain cautious.
From Barron's
The train service is also part of a broader push to expand passenger and freight rail in southern Mexico and stimulate economic development in the region.
From BBC
These nutrients stimulate the growth of plankton, microscopic organisms that absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
From Science Daily
Other brands have launched garments that use several different technologies—including tiny resin beads and graduated compression systems—to stimulate the lymphatic system.
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.
