Thesaurus results for SPURRING

spurring

verb

present participle of spur

as in stabbing

to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object gently spurred the horse with his heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spurring The documentary, based on insider accounts from Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers, sparked outrage among Israeli officials, even spurring calls to consider criminal charges against the documentarians and strip them of their citizenship. — Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026 And just as generative AI helped bring about a broader industry to train and run LLMs, the rising popularity of world models is spurring new innovation and startups. — Wen Shao, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026 The war turned into a grinding conflict, killing hundreds of thousands of people and spurring successive health crises and famine. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 In the visual, Karol and Mars portray lovers once again — and even share a dramatic, firework-spurring embrace at the end. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026 The prospect of this loss is already spurring panic among some satellite operators, said Caleb Henry, director of research at analytics firm Quilty Space. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 And just as RPOs seem to be spurring a new phase of space warfare, the possibilities for their beneficial, peaceful use are proliferating, too. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026 But this is precisely what is spurring greater efforts among local election official and volunteers to boost both trust and transparency. — The Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026 Predecessor Justin Trudeau's government had assailed Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, spurring a five-year diplomatic split. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurring

Verb

Dangelo Rafael Jean Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia Bautista, 24, both Dominican citizens, are accused of stabbing off-duty NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes.

— Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Even the worst days doing this are exponentially better than the potential of waking up to my elderly roommate stabbing me in the pancreas.

— Tim Savage, IndieWire, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of stabbing

Verb

Sometimes only the tips of the reeds and the seed heads were visible, poking above the murky water, and other times the reeds stood fully exposed, with a clear view of crabs clambering around their bases.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Video posted to social media showed one car nearly submerged, with just its sunroof poking above the water, as people moved other vehicles farther from the rising tides.

— Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of poking

Verb

The episode never aired, but in copies of the footage that have been re-uploaded online, Jones can be seen goading Scott Amedure, a 32-year-old gay man, about his crush on his 24-year-old straight friend, Jonathan Schmitz.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Aug. 2026
His Dahl is constantly goading people, driving them right up to the edge of their tolerance.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026

Definition of goading

Verb

The defense kept prodding James to tell more about the Compton gang war, the hatred between both sides, what really happened on that night in Las Vegas.

— Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
But the forces prodding Shin to boost rates are increasingly affecting Fed policy decisions.

— William Pesek, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of prodding

Verb

Bella chews him out for punching Angus in the face right before Angus’s big presentation, which Johnny knew about because they were supposed to throw a return supper for him, a dinner Johnny was supposed to cook.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Castro whips her head around and follows him, punching him in the back.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

Expect wearables and continuous glucose monitors to start nudging users to move within the 15-to-30-minute window after eating, replacing generic daily step prompts.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
The fish folds its body, trying to turn or swim, the water nudging overtop.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of nudging

Verb

For the hearing impaired, select rooms feature visual fire alarms plus signals for telephone ringing and door knocking.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Political handicapping has a way of knocking people down a couple of notches.

— Nathan Gonzales CQ-Roll Call, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of knocking

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“Spurring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurring. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of spurring

verb

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