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.

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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

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Synonym Usage

See animate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stimulability
  noun
• stimulater
  noun
• stimulation
  noun
• stimulator
  noun
• overstimulate
  verb
• interstimulate
  verb (used with object)
• prestimulate
  verb (used with object)
• restimulate
  verb (used with object)
• superstimulate
  verb (used with object)
• 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

See Examples For:

stimulate stimulates stimulated stimulating

August home-price and property-investment figures are also due, following recent government efforts to stimulate housing demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

There are other ways to provide enrichment, like rotating toys every day to stimulate exploration, using puzzle feeder dishes to satisfy hunting behaviors and playing videos for your cat showing birds or fish.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Conventional IL-2 treatment, however, can produce serious side effects and can also stimulate immune cells that actually weaken the antitumor response.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

And that could stimulate more activity for companies involved in building and financing these projects, which will eventually trickle down to the broader economy, the Wells Fargo team said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

“It’s full of electrical impulses. It’s like a computer. If you stimulate one part of the brain with an electrode, it—” He stopped talking.

From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry

Sculptra is particularly interesting for this theme because it stimulates collagen production, rather than simply filling wrinkles.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026

Many contain large amounts of caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system and makes you feel more awake.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

Reynoso said the betting "stimulates many senses" for the animals on top of providing entertainment for an audience giddy with excitement ahead of the world's biggest football bonanza.

From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026

When adults were treated with thyroid hormone, which stimulates liver cell growth, their cells began accumulating mutations at rates similar to those seen in juveniles.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 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

“That’s really what stimulated the conversation of the possibility.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

For example, immune cells displayed different sugar patterns after being stimulated, similar to what happens during an immune response.

From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026

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

For pop, broadcast technology stimulated a thirst for new sounds and new voices that proliferated vigorously across the world.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

"However, the effect occurs later, and the stimulating effect is often absent," the institute advised.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

They activate what Mr. Lieberman refers to as “primeval cravings,” stimulating the brain’s reward centers and contributing to addiction and overconsumption.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Egg freezing involves stimulating the ovaries with hormone injections before mature eggs are surgically retrieved and preserved for possible future use through in vitro fertilization.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

On the other hand, variety can be stimulating.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

He pursued more stimulating projects, whilst I, alone in the chamber, labored through his Classical obscurities.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

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