inspire

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

inspire

fill with high emotion; to guide by divine influence; stimulate creativity: Her beauty could inspire a work of art.

Not to be confused with:

aspire – have a strong hope or ambition; to strive toward an end: They aspire to greatness.

in·spire

(ĭn-spīr′)

v. in·spired, in·spir·ing, in·spires

v.tr.

1. To affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence.

2. To fill with enlivening or exalting emotion: hymns that inspire the congregation; an artist who was inspired by Impressionism.

a. To stimulate to action; motivate: a sales force that was inspired by the prospect of a bonus. See Synonyms at encourage.

b. To cause (someone) to have a particular feeling; affect or touch: "At this moment he inspired her with disgust rather than with love" (Anthony Trollope).

4. To cause someone to have (a feeling or reaction); elicit or arouse: a teacher who inspired admiration and respect.

5. To be the cause or source of; bring about: an invention that inspired many imitations.

6. To draw in (air) by inhaling.

7. Archaic

a. To breathe on.

b. To breathe life into.

v.intr.

1. To stimulate energies, ideals, or reverence: a leader who inspires by example.

2. To inhale.

[Middle English enspiren, from Old French enspirer, from Latin īnspīrāre : in-, into; see in-² + spīrāre, to breathe.]

in·spir′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

inspire

(ɪnˈspaɪə)

1. to exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon (a person); animate or invigorate

2. (tr; foll by with or to; may take an infinitive) to arouse (with a particular emotion or to a particular action); stir

3. (tr) to prompt or instigate; give rise to: her beauty inspired his love.

4. (Ecclesiastical Terms) (tr; often passive) to guide or arouse by divine influence or inspiration

5. (Physiology) to take or draw (air, gas, etc) into the lungs; inhale

6. (tr) archaic

a. to breathe into or upon

b. to breathe life into

[C14 (in the sense: to breathe upon, blow into): from Latin inspīrāre, from spīrāre to breathe]

inˈspirable adj

inˈspirative adj

inˈspirer n

inˈspiringly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•spire

(ɪnˈspaɪ^ər)

v. -spired, -spir•ing. v.t.

1. to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence: Her courage inspired her followers.

2. to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.): to inspire confidence.

3. to fill or affect with a feeling, thought, etc.

4. to influence or impel: Competition inspired them to greater efforts.

5. to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence.

6. to guide or control by divine influence.

7. to give rise to, bring about, cause, etc.: a philosophy that inspired a revolution.

8. to take (air, gases, etc.) into the lungs in breathing; inhale.

9. Archaic.

a. to infuse (breath, life, etc.) by breathing.

b. to breathe into or upon.

v.i.

10. to give inspiration.

11. to inhale.

[1300–50; Middle English < Latin inspīrāre to breathe upon or into =in- in-² + spīrāre to breathe]

in•spir•a•tive (ɪnˈspaɪ^ər ə tɪv, ˈɪn spɪˌreɪ tɪv) adj.

in•spir′er, n.

in•spir′ing•ly, adv.

inspire

Past participle: inspired
Gerund: inspiring

Imperative
inspire
inspire

Present
I inspire
you inspire
he/she/it inspires
we inspire
you inspire
they inspire

Preterite
I inspired
you inspired
he/she/it inspired
we inspired
you inspired
they inspired

Present Continuous
I am inspiring
you are inspiring
he/she/it is inspiring
we are inspiring
you are inspiring
they are inspiring

Present Perfect
I have inspired
you have inspired
he/she/it has inspired
we have inspired
you have inspired
they have inspired

Past Continuous
I was inspiring
you were inspiring
he/she/it was inspiring
we were inspiring
you were inspiring
they were inspiring

Past Perfect
I had inspired
you had inspired
he/she/it had inspired
we had inspired
you had inspired
they had inspired

Future
I will inspire
you will inspire
he/she/it will inspire
we will inspire
you will inspire
they will inspire

Future Perfect
I will have inspired
you will have inspired
he/she/it will have inspired
we will have inspired
you will have inspired
they will have inspired

Future Continuous
I will be inspiring
you will be inspiring
he/she/it will be inspiring
we will be inspiring
you will be inspiring
they will be inspiring

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been inspiring
you have been inspiring
he/she/it has been inspiring
we have been inspiring
you have been inspiring
they have been inspiring

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been inspiring
you will have been inspiring
he/she/it will have been inspiring
we will have been inspiring
you will have been inspiring
they will have been inspiring

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been inspiring
you had been inspiring
he/she/it had been inspiring
we had been inspiring
you had been inspiring
they had been inspiring

Conditional
I would inspire
you would inspire
he/she/it would inspire
we would inspire
you would inspire
they would inspire

Past Conditional
I would have inspired
you would have inspired
he/she/it would have inspired
we would have inspired
you would have inspired
they would have inspired

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	inspire - heighten or intensify; "These paintings exalt the imagination" animate, enliven, invigorate, exalt stimulate, stir, shake up, excite, shake - stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of; "These stories shook the community"; "the civil war shook the country" encourage - inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to
	2.	inspire - supply the inspiration for; "The article about the artist inspired the exhibition of his recent work" occasion - give occasion to
	3.	inspire - serve as the inciting cause of; "She prompted me to call my relatives" instigate, prompt cause, induce, stimulate, make, get, have - cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner; "The ads induced me to buy a VCR"; "My children finally got me to buy a computer"; "My wife made me buy a new sofa"
	4.	inspire - spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts; "The crowd cheered the demonstrating strikers" exhort, pep up, root on, urge on, barrack, urge, cheer cheerlead - act as a cheerleader in a sports event encourage - inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to
	5.	inspire - fill with revolutionary ideas revolutionise, revolutionize indoctrinate - teach doctrines to; teach uncritically; "The Moonies indoctrinate their disciples"
	6.	inspire - draw in (air); "Inhale deeply"; "inhale the fresh mountain air"; "The patient has trouble inspiring"; "The lung cancer patient cannot inspire air very well" breathe in, inhale breathe, take a breath, suspire, respire - draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs; "I can breathe better when the air is clean"; "The patient is respiring" aspirate - suck in (air) sniff, sniffle - inhale audibly through the nose; "the sick student was sniffling in the back row" snivel, snuffle - snuff up mucus through the nose snuff - inhale audibly through the nose; "snuff coke" puff, drag, draw - suck in or take (air); "draw a deep breath"; "draw on a cigarette" huff, snort - inhale recreational drugs; "The addict was snorting cocaine almost every day"; "the kids were huffing glue"

inspire

verb

1. motivate, move, cause, stimulate, encourage, influence, persuade, spur, be responsible for, animate, rouse, instil, infuse, hearten, enliven, imbue, spark off, energize, galvanize, gee up, inspirit, fire or touch the imagination of What inspired you to change your name?
motivate depress, discourage, daunt, deflate, dishearten, dispirit, disenchant

2. give rise to, cause, produce, result in, prompt, stir, spawn, engender His legend would even inspire a song by Simon and Garfunkel.

3. arouse, cause, produce, excite, prompt, induce, awaken, give rise to, ignite, kindle, enkindle The car's effortless handling inspires confidence.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

inspire

verb

1. To arouse the emotions of; make ardent:

animate, enkindle, fire, impassion, kindle, stir.

2. To raise the spirits of:

animate, buoy (up), elate, elevate, exhilarate, flush, inspirit, lift, uplift.

Obsolete: exalt.

3. To impart courage, inspiration, and resolution to:

animate, cheer (on), embolden, encourage, inspirit, motivate.

4. To stir to action or feeling:

egg on, excite, foment, galvanize, goad, impel, incite, inflame, instigate, motivate, move, pique, prick, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, set off, spur, stimulate, touch off, trigger, work up.

5. To draw air into the lungs in the process of respiration:

breathe (in), inhale.

Translations

يُعْطي الثِّقَه، يُشَجِّعيُلْهِم، يوحي

inspirovatpovzbudit

inspireretilskynde

anfeuern anregen eingeben

inspirar alentar animar

elähdyttääinnoittaainnostaainspiroida

inspirer stimuler dicter

lelkesítmegihletösztönöz

hrífa; fylla hugmóîivera kveikjan aî

ispirare ispirazione suscitare

iedvesmotiedvest

beademeninspireren

inspirere

вдохновить вдохновлять внушать одушевить одушевлять

inšpirovať

navdihniti

ilham etmek/vermekilham kaynağı olmak

赋予灵感鼓舞

inspire

[ɪnˈspaɪəʳ] VT → inspirar
she has the sort of face that inspires terror/respect → tiene un rostro que inspira terror/respeto
to inspire sb to do sth → mover a algn a hacer algo
her achievements have inspired me to make more effort → sus logros me han movido a esforzarme más
whatever inspired him to do that? → ¿qué lo impulsó or movió a hacer eso?
this painting was inspired by Greek mythology → este cuadro está inspirado en la mitología griega
he was inspired by her beauty to write the song → su belleza lo llevó or movió a escribir la canción
the painting was divinely inspired → el cuadro fue pintado por inspiración divina
to inspire confidence in sb, inspire sb with confidence → infundir or inspirar confianza a algn

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

inspire

[ɪnˈspaɪə^r] vt

[+ person] → inspirer
to inspire sb to do sth → inspirer qn pour faire qch
The landscape inspired her to produce some beautiful paintings → Le paysage l'a inspirée pour produire de belles toiles.
The bohemian lifestyle of Paris inspired him to write his first novel → La bohème parisienne fut l'inspiration derrière son premier roman.
What inspired you to buy that hat?
BUT Qu'est-ce qui vous a donné l'idée d'acheter ce chapeau?; Comment vous êtes-vous mis en tête d'acheter ce chapeau?.

[+ work of art] → inspirer

[+ confidence, hope, respect, loyalty] → inspirer; [+ fear] → inspirer
to inspire sth in sb → inspirer qch à qn
He inspires fierce loyalty in his friends → Il inspire une farouche loyauté à ses amis.
to inspire confidence in sb → inspirer confiance à qn

inspire

respect, trust, awe → einflößen (in sb jdm); hope, confidence etc → (er)wecken (→ in in +dat); hate, fear → hervorrufen (in bei); to inspire somebody with hope/confidence → jdn mit Hoffnung/Vertrauen erfüllen

(= be inspiration to) person → inspirieren; to inspire somebody with an idea → jdn zu einer Idee inspirieren; I was inspired by his example/courage → sein Vorbild/Mut hat mich inspiriert; the book was inspired by a real person → die Inspiration zu dem Buch kommt von einer wirklichen Person; whatever inspired you to change it? (iro) → was hat dich bloß dazu inspiriert, es zu ändern?

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

inspire

[ɪnˈspaɪəʳ] vt to inspire sth in sb, to inspire sb with sth → ispirare qc a qn
to inspire sb (to do sth) → ispirare qn (a fare qc)

inspire

(inˈspaiə) verb

1. to encourage by filling with eg confidence, enthusiasm etc. The players were inspired by the loyalty of their supporters and played better football than ever before.

2. to be the origin or source of a poetic or artistic idea. An incident in his childhood inspired the poem.

inspiration (inspəˈreiʃən) noun

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

Mrs Deborah no sooner observed this than she fell to squeezing and kissing, with as great raptures as sometimes inspire the sage dame of forty and five towards a youthful and vigorous bridegroom, crying out, in a shrill voice, "O, the dear little creature!--The dear, sweet, pretty creature!

View in context

But that practice, in contradiction to this principle, proceeds upon the presumption, that the responsibility of those who appoint, for the fitness and competency of the persons on whom they bestow their choice, and the interest they will have in the respectable and prosperous administration of affairs, will inspire a sufficient disposition to dismiss from a share in it all such who, by their conduct, shall have proved themselves unworthy of the confidence reposed in them.

Thus it could hardly happen, that the majority of the Senate would feel any other complacency towards the object of an appointment than such as the appearances of merit might inspire, and the proofs of the want of it destroy.

View in context

In a government where numerous and extensive prerogatives are placed in the hands of an hereditary monarch, the executive department is very justly regarded as the source of danger, and watched with all the jealousy which a zeal for liberty ought to inspire. In a democracy, where a multitude of people exercise in person the legislative functions, and are continually exposed, by their incapacity for regular deliberation and concerted measures, to the ambitious intrigues of their executive magistrates, tyranny may well be apprehended, on some favorable emergency, to start up in the same quarter.

View in context

I do not wish to hurt your feelings, but your name has been associated in the past with too many failures to inspire us with any confidence in engaging you as an ally.

"If anything in this world could inspire me with fear," he remarked, "it would be the generosity of the Prince of Saxe Leinitzer."

View in context

Wopsle, indeed, wildly cried out "No!" with the feeble malice of a tired man; but, as he had no theory, and no coat on, he was unanimously set at nought - not to mention his smoking hard behind, as he stood with his back to the kitchen fire to draw the damp out: which was not calculated to inspire confidence.

View in context

There are two things which principally inspire mankind with care and love of their offspring, knowing it is their own, and what ought to be the object of their affection, neither of which can take place in this sort of community.

View in context

Sharing insights about Fashion Inspire on May 17, Masisi said fashion did not only mean putting on something that looked good and trendy, but could also be used to improve the lives of others.