encourage

1 of 2

verb

en·​cour·​age in-ˈkər-ij How to pronounce encourage (audio)
-ˈkə-rij, 
en-
encouraged; encouraging
Synonyms of encourage

transitive verb

1
a
: to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope : hearten
she was encouraged to continue by her early success
b
: to attempt to persuade : urge
they encouraged him to go back to school
2
: to spur on : stimulate
warm weather encourages plant growth
3
: to give help or patronage to : foster
government grants designed to encourage conservation
encourager noun

encourager

2 of 2

noun

en·​cour·​ag·​er
-jə(r)
plural -s
: one that encourages

Synonyms of encourage

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Verb

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Choose the Right Synonym for encourage

encourage, inspirit, hearten, embolden mean to fill with courage or strength of purpose.

encourage suggests the raising of one's confidence especially by an external agency.

the teacher's praise encouraged the students to greater efforts

inspirit, somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something.

patriots inspirited the people to resist

hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal.

a hospital patient heartened by good news

embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance.

emboldened by her first success, she tried an even more difficult climb

Examples of encourage in a Sentence

Verb They encouraged us in our work. Encourage each other with kind words. The program is meant to encourage savings. Warm weather encourages plant growth. He claims the new regulations will encourage investment. He claims the new regulations will encourage people to invest. We want to encourage students to read more. My parents encouraged me to go back to college. They encouraged her to go.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Harvest stems weekly to encourage bushy growth and prevent the plant from getting leggy. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026 One wanted to build a machine to encourage a collective understanding of reality; the other a machine to dissolve trust. — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 Your solar season begins soon, but the beginning of the month encourages you to take a step to regroup and recalibrate, Libra. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 The point, Forman suggested, was not to change anyone’s mind but to encourage better understanding and clearer thinking. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for encourage

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English encoragen, from Anglo-French encorager, from en- + curage courage

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of encourage was in the 15th century

Rhymes for encourage

See All Rhymes for encourage

Browse Nearby Words

encounter group
encourage
encouragement
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Encourage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encourage. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

encourage

verb
en·​cour·​age in-ˈkər-ij How to pronounce encourage (audio)
-ˈkə-rij
encouraged; encouraging
1
a
: to cause to feel courage, spirit, or hope
encouraged by her kind words
b
: to try to persuade
encouraged him to go back to school
2
: to spur on : stimulate
3
: to give help to : foster
government grants to encourage young artists
warm weather encourages plant growth
encouragement
-mənt
noun
encouragingly
-ij-iŋ-lē, 
-rij-
adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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