Adjacent Words

Inspire definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INSPI'RE, v.i. [L. inspiro; in and spiro, to breathe.]
To draw in breath; to inhale air into the lungs; opposed to expire.
INSPI'RE, v.t. To breathe into.
Ye nine, descend and sing,
The breathing instruments inspire.
1. To infuse by breathing.
He knew not his Maker, and him that inspired into him an active soul.
2. To infuse into the mind; as, to inspire with new life.
3. To infuse or suggest ideas or monitions supernaturally; to communicate divine instructions to the mind. In this manner, we suppose the prophets to have been inspired, and the Scriptures to have been composed under divine influence or direction.
4. To infuse ideas or poetic spirit.
5. To draw into the lungs; as, to inspire and expire the air with difficulty.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: heighten or intensify; "These paintings exalt the imagination" [syn: inspire, animate, invigorate, enliven, exalt]
2: supply the inspiration for; "The article about the artist inspired the exhibition of his recent work"
3: serve as the inciting cause of; "She prompted me to call my relatives" [syn: prompt, inspire, instigate]
4: spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts; "The crowd cheered the demonstrating strikers" [syn: cheer, root on, inspire, urge, barrack, urge on, exhort, pep up]
5: fill with revolutionary ideas [syn: revolutionize, revolutionise, inspire]
6: draw in (air); "Inhale deeply"; "inhale the fresh mountain air"; "The patient has trouble inspiring"; "The lung cancer patient cannot inspire air very well" [syn: inhale, inspire, breathe in] [ant: breathe out, exhale, expire]

Merriam Webster's

verb (inspired; inspiring) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French inspirer, from Latin inspirare, from in- + spirare to breathe Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration b. to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on <was particularly inspired by the Romanticists> c. to spur on ; impel, motivate <threats don't necessarily inspire people to work> d. affect <seeing the old room again inspired him with nostalgia> 2. a. archaic to breathe or blow into or upon b. archaic to infuse (as life) by breathing 3. a. to communicate to an agent supernaturally b. to draw forth or bring out <thoughts inspired by a visit to the cathedral> 4. inhale 1 5. a. bring about, occasion <the book was inspired by his travels in the Far East> b. incite 6. to spread (rumor) by indirect means or through the agency of another intransitive verb inhale • inspirer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 stimulate or arouse (a person) to esp. creative activity, esp. by supposed divine or supernatural agency (your faith inspired him; inspired by God). 2 a (usu. foll. by with) animate (a person) with a feeling. b (usu. foll. by into) instil (a feeling) into a person etc. c (usu. foll. by in) create (a feeling) in a person. 3 prompt; give rise to (the poem was inspired by the autumn). 4 (as inspired adj.) a (of a work of art etc.) as if prompted by or emanating from a supernatural source; characterized by inspiration (an inspired speech). b (of a guess) intuitive but accurate. 5 (also absol.) breathe in (air etc.); inhale. Derivatives: inspiratory adj. inspiredly adv. inspirer n. inspiring adj. inspiringly adv. Etymology: ME f. OF inspirer f. L inspirare breathe in (as IN-(2), spirare breathe)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Inspire In*spire", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Inspired; p. pr. & vb. n. Inspiring.] 1. To draw in breath; to inhale air into the lungs; -- opposed to expire. 2. To breathe; to blow gently. [Obs.] And when the wind amongst them did inspire, They wav[`e]d like a penon wide dispread. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Inspire In*spire", v. t. [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.] 1. To breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate. When Zephirus eek, with his sweete breath, Inspir[`e]d hath in every holt and health The tender crops. --Chaucer. Descend, ye Nine, descend and sing, The breathing instruments inspire. --Pope. 2. To infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing. He knew not his Maker, and him that inspired into him an active soul. --Wisdom xv. 11. 3. To draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale; -- opposed to expire. Forced to inspire and expire the air with difficulty. --Harvey.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(inspires, inspiring, inspired) 1. If someone or something inspires you to do something new or unusual, they make you want to do it. Our challenge is to motivate those voters and inspire them to join our cause... VERB: V n to-inf 2. If someone or something inspires you, they give you new ideas and a strong feeling of enthusiasm. Jimi Hendrix inspired a generation of guitarists. VERB: V n 3. If a book, work of art, or action is inspired by something, that thing is the source of the idea for it. The book was inspired by a real person, namely Tamara de Treaux. ...a political murder inspired by the same nationalist conflicts now wrecking the country. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed by n, V-ed • -inspired ...Mediterranean-inspired ceramics in bright yellow and blue... COMB in ADJ 4. Someone or something that inspires a particular emotion or reaction in people makes them feel this emotion or reaction. The car's performance quickly inspires confidence. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. Inhale air, draw in the breath. II. v. a. 1. Inhale, breathe in. 2. Breathe into, fill with the breath. 3. Infuse, instil. 4. Animate, inspirit, enliven, cheer. 5. Affect by supernatural influence, fill with supernatural knowledge, endow with superhuman insight. 6. Endow with extraordinary insight, fill or endow with genius. 7. Elevate, exalt, stimulate to aspiration, fill with enthusiasm. 8. Animate, imbue, inform, quicken, enliven, fill.

Moby Thesaurus

activate, actuate, affect, affirm, afford hope, animate, arouse, aspirate, assure, augur well, awaken, bid fair, blow, bolster, boost, brace up, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, brighten, bring, bring about, bring on, buck up, buoy up, buttress, call forth, call up, carry, cause, cheer, confirm, contrive, cough, draw down, draw in, draw on, effect, elicit, embolden, embue, encourage, endow, endue, energize, enliven, evoke, exalt, excite, exhale, exhaust, exhilarate, expel, expire, fire, fortify, galvanize, gasp, get, give a lift, give hope, gladden, gulp, hack, have good prospects, hearten, hiccup, hold out hope, hold out promise, huff, imbue, impress, induce, infect, influence, inform, infuse, inhale, inject, inoculate, inspire hope, inspirit, instigate, invigorate, justify hope, kindle, lead, liven, make fair promise, motivate, move, muster up, nerve, obtain, pant, pick up, procure, promise, prompt, provoke, puff, quicken, raise expectations, raise hope, rally, reassure, reinforce, rejoice, rejoice the heart, respire, rouse, set up, sigh, slurp, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snore, snort, snuff, snuff in, snuffle, spirit, spirit up, stimulate, stir, strengthen, strike, suck, suck in, suckle, summon up, superinduce, support, sway, touch, uplift, vitalize, vivify, waken, wheeze