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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Purple Hibiscus
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
I urge you not to judge your former self.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The unusually early start to the season has prompted local health officials to urge people to get their flu shots as soon as possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Those who resist the urge to use their precious time doing anything else will be rewarded not with payoff, but indictment.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
I enter an antique store and find must-haves—a pristine Underwood typewriter, a vacuum-tube radio—then remind myself that we’re trying to get rid of stuff, and the urge passes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Michael felt the urge to sneeze—he was still getting over his stupid summer cold—and his eyes watered.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Not to worry, a kindly male neighbor assures Adam — her maternal urges will kick right in after the babies are born.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
He urges boards to review a few relatively immediate outcomes that may reveal whether the board needs to intervene and shore up support for the newcomer or look for an alternative leader.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Last fall, David Osit’s level-headed documentary “Predators” examined the ethics of a show that primarily snared people who’d never before acted on their terrible urges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
When users click external URLs to apply for jobs, the website urges vigilance through a pop-up notification.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
A neighbor gently urges his goats along as he guides them home along the tracks.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Gilbert, from Pontypool, Torfaen, urged parents to think carefully before uploading their child's photograph to an AI tool.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
On Wednesday, AFP accompanied dozens of campaigners from the Pacific and Australia's Torres Strait Islanders on a flotilla which sailed past the summit venue and urged leaders to "keep 1.5C alive".
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
They also urged the company to work with third-party safety auditors and to promote a culture of transparency with external safety organizations to help stave off the “risk that something truly catastrophic will happen.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The media and technology watchdog organization urged OpenAI to pause marketing the product and keep minors off the platform until it can offer a safer experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
One day, he urged his squad to design a distinctive banner that would stand out among the others, even though it was breaking the rules.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
“There is no safe space in our community now,” Oleksandr Honcharenko, the head of the city’s military administration, said last month, urging residents to evacuate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Reebok wound up urging retailers to black out the name on boxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu set out a timetable on Sunday urging local authorities to prioritise filling gaps left by long-term teacher absences and unfilled posts.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Two young women sit on a bed, with an LGBTQ+ flag in the background, with one urging the other to try a new experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Our robot’s Survival Instincts were blaring in her head, urging her to protect herself, but what could she do?
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
