urge
Americanverb (used with object)
-
urges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
urged,
past participle, past
-
urging
present participle
-
to push or force along; impel with force or vigor.
to urge the cause along.
- Antonyms:
- deter
-
to drive with incitement to speed or effort.
to urge dogs on with shouts.
- Antonyms:
- deter
-
to press, push, or hasten (the course, activities, etc.).
to urge one's escape.
- Antonyms:
- deter
-
to impel, constrain, or move to some action.
urged by necessity.
- Antonyms:
- discourage
-
to endeavor to induce or persuade, as by entreaties; entreat or exhort earnestly.
to urge a person to greater caution.
- Antonyms:
- discourage
-
to press (something) upon the attention.
to urge a claim.
-
to insist on, allege, or assert with earnestness.
to urge the need of haste.
- Synonyms:
- asseverate, aver
-
to press by persuasion or recommendation, as for acceptance, performance, or use; recommend or advocate earnestly.
to urge a plan of action.
verb (used without object)
-
urges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
urged,
past participle, past
-
urging
present participle
-
to exert a driving or impelling force; give an impulse to haste or action.
Hunger urges.
-
to make entreaties or earnest recommendations.
-
to press arguments or allegations, as against a person, action, or cause.
The senator urged against the confirmation of the appointment.
noun
-
urges
plural
-
an act of urging; impelling action, influence, or force; impulse.
-
an involuntary, natural, or instinctive impulse.
the sex urge.
verb
-
(tr) to plead, press, or move (someone to do something)
we urged him to surrender
-
(tr; may take a clause as object) to advocate or recommend earnestly and persistently; plead or insist on
to urge the need for safety
-
(tr) to impel, drive, or hasten onwards
he urged the horses on
-
archaic (tr) to stimulate, excite, or incite
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
urgesimple
-
urgessimple
-
have urgedperfect
-
has urgedperfect
-
am urgingprogressive
-
are urgingprogressive
-
is urgingprogressive
-
have been urgingperfect progressive
-
has been urgingperfect progressive
Past
-
urgedsimple
-
had urgedperfect
-
was urgingprogressive
-
were urgingprogressive
-
had been urgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of urge
First recorded in 1550–60, urge is from the Latin word urgēre to press, force, drive, urge
Explanation
If you have an urge to eat candy, you really want to eat those sweets. Your mother might urge you to wait until after dinner. As a noun, urge means a desire. As a verb, it means to strongly encourage. Urge is related to the word, urgent, or 'pressing.' An urge is a pressing want, one that is almost a compulsion, like when you're so frustrated, you have the urge to scream. If you urge someone to do something, you feel strongly about it. You might urge a friend to wear an orange shirt not because you happen to like orange, but because they're walking in the woods during hunting season.
Vocabulary lists containing urge
Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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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.
See Examples For:
“She has an ability to inspire you and urge you to do things you could not think were possible. She is one of those life-changers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Students, vying for the class, expressed the urge to be forced to tackle classics, sharpen their attention spans and think for themselves in the age of AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The notices urge them to fight fires on their land, prevent burning and submit action plans.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Sir Geoffrey has written to Cabinet Office Minister Louise Haigh to urge the government to confirm the bereaved families affected will not face this "unjust financial penalty".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
I fought the urge to throw my arms around her neck and hug her for joy.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
MaineHousing urges residents to apply before they are out of fuel.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
In the ad, Arthur calls her daughter a liar and urges voters not to support her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
In nearby Allentown, a billboard urges drivers to vote for Brooks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
“Ethiopia urges the Eritrean government to cease all acts that are contrary to the principles of relations between sovereign states,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Her mother called it a curse, and she understood that it was, that she had to control her urges.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Instead of calling for street protests after the disputed 1988 vote, Cárdenas urged his supporters to continue their struggle through ballots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
He urged the devolved governments to follow suit to "give people of all nations in the UK breathing space on their energy bills this winter".
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Energy Secretary Chris Wright called the oil loan “a temporary measure to solve a temporary supply disruption” and urged the governors of New York and New England to build the pipeline.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Ahead of SpaceX’s June offering, she urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to delay the rocket maker’s IPO, citing its high valuation, corporate governance structure and recent index rule changes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
"Go along, Rowan," Jiller urged in a whisper.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
The National Security Agency issued an emergency alert urging businesses to fix these vulnerabilities immediately—or take their sites offline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The house was built without insulation, so our heating bills regularly run upward of $800 a month even though we keep the house at a chilly 67, urging the kids to wear extra sweaters.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
At Cycles Laurent, a bike store on Boulevard Voltaire, a makeshift wooden window doubles as a spray-painted sign urging people to come on in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Criticism has been especially intense on social media, with some in the comments even urging people to stay away.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
The suffragists started their state ratification campaigns by reaching out to governors and urging them to consider the amendment.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
