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.
The bigger risk is that Ms. Takaichi’s plans would do little to stimulate the productive investment Japan needs for economic growth.
Higher education should aim, first, to stimulate and enhance intellectual capacity.
"Transcranial focused ultrasound will let you stimulate different parts of the brain in healthy subjects, in ways you just couldn't before," says Daniel Freeman, an MIT researcher and co-author of the paper.
From Science Daily
"Normally, an increased supply of iron in the Southern Ocean would stimulate algae growth, which increases the oceanic uptake of carbon dioxide," says lead author Torben Struve of the University of Oldenburg.
From Science Daily
And aggressively shrinking the Fed’s balance sheet would tighten financial conditions, which works against the goal of stimulating the economy through rate cuts and might even alarm market participants.
From MarketWatch
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.
