stimulate

American  

[stim-yuh-leyt] / ˈstɪm jəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

stimulates, present (3rd person singular) stimulated, past participle, past stimulating present participle

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   excite, activate, arouse

2. Physiology, Medicine/Medical. to excite (a nerve, gland, etc.) to its functional activity.

3. to invigorate (a person) by a food or beverage containing a stimulant such as coffee or tea.

---

verb (used without object)

stimulates, present (3rd person singular) stimulated, past participle, past stimulating present participle

1. to act as a stimulus or stimulant.

stimulate British  

/ ˈstɪmjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. (tr; usually passive) to fill (a person) with ideas or enthusiasm

   he was stimulated by the challenge

2. (tr) physiol to excite (a nerve, organ, etc) with a stimulus

3. 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

• stimulability
  noun
• stimulater
  noun
• stimulation
  noun
• stimulator
  noun
• overstimulate
  verb
• nonstimulable
  adjective
• self-stimulated
  adjective
• stimulable
  adjective
• stimulative
  adjective
• unstimulable
  adjective
• unstimulated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• stimulating
  present
• stimulated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stimulate
  simple
• stimulates
  simple
• have stimulated
  perfect
• has stimulated
  perfect
• am stimulating
  progressive
• are stimulating
  progressive
• is stimulating
  progressive
• have been stimulating
  perfect progressive
• has been stimulating
  perfect progressive

Past

• stimulated
  simple
• had stimulated
  perfect
• was stimulating
  progressive
• were stimulating
  progressive
• had been stimulating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stimulate
  simple
• will have stimulated
  perfect
• will be stimulating
  progressive
• will have been stimulating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

COVID-19 marked a good example of when the Fed needed to lower rates to stimulate spending and mitigate the impact of job losses resulting from the pandemic.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026

"I need something to stimulate the mind," the 78-year-old told the BBC.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

That fatty molecule belongs to a group called cardiolipins, which are known to stimulate cytokine release.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026

If the supply side of the economy is growing because of AI, cutting rates to stimulate demand “doesn’t make any sense,” he says.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

From January on, she was wrapped in a wet sheet and rubbed vigorously for five minutes every morning, which was supposed to stimulate her nervous system and circulation.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• arouse
• encourage
• inspire
• prompt
• quicken
• spark
• spur
• trigger
• vitalize