stimulation
Americannoun
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the act of exciting a nerve, gland, etc., to its functional activity.
The fungus is known to have diverse effects on the body, from stimulation of the nervous system to constriction of blood vessels.
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something that arouses interest, inspiration, or incitement to action.
Children, with their developing brains, love stimulation and novelty.
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a cause or incitement.
Improved rural-urban communication links often act as stimulation for the growth of local towns.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stimulation
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin stimulātiō “incentive”; equivalent to stimulate ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )
Explanation
Stimulation spurs an organism to act. It can also be any specific event that causes someone to do something. Have you ever had a teacher who made you excited about a subject you didn't like before, causing you to study harder and learn more? That teacher must've provided stimulation: through the teacher, you were motivated to give more effort to the class. Like a stimulant, stimulation causes things to happen. A doctor hitting your knee is a type of stimulation that makes your leg jerk up. In zoos, animals are provided with food-based stimulation to make them exercise.
Vocabulary lists containing stimulation
Half a World Away
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Articles on Dangers of Technology
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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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.
Once stimulation becomes too high, whether from stress, anxiety, or too much caffeine, performance begins to decline.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
Researchers from the laboratory of Roberta Gualdani at the University of Louvain in Brussels identified an unexpected role for a molecule known as TRPV4 in itch triggered by mechanical stimulation, such as scratching.
From Science Daily • May 10, 2026
North America revenue fell 4% to $2.1 billion, amid lower stimulation activity on U.S. land and in the Gulf of Mexico.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
"Video content is mental stimulation for senior dogs and for lazy dogs, because if they aren't being physical often they still need to exercise their mind," adds Lubeach.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Nevertheless, and although he himself did not seem to notice it, those letters of recuperation and stimulation were slowly changing into pastoral letters of disenchantment.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
