Adjacent Words

Stimulate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STIMULATE, v.t. [L., to prick, to goad, to excite; a goad.] Literally, to prick or goad. Hence,
1. To excite, rouse or animate to action or more vigorous exertion by some pungent motive or by persuasion; as, to stimulate one by the hope of reward, or by the prospect of glory.
2. In medicine, to excite or increase the action of the moving fibers or organs of an animal body; as, to stimulate a torpid limb; or to stimulate the stomach and bowels.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: act as a stimulant; "The book stimulated her imagination"; "This play stimulates" [syn: stimulate, excite] [ant: dampen, stifle]
2: 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" [syn: induce, stimulate, cause, have, get, make]
3: stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of; "These stories shook the community"; "the civil war shook the country" [syn: stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir]
4: cause to be alert and energetic; "Coffee and tea stimulate me"; "This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate" [syn: stimulate, arouse, brace, energize, energise, perk up] [ant: calm, de-energise, de-energize, sedate, tranquilize, tranquillise, tranquillize]
5: cause to occur rapidly; "the infection precipitated a high fever and allergic reactions" [syn: induce, stimulate, rush, hasten]
6: stir feelings in; "stimulate my appetite"; "excite the audience"; "stir emotions" [syn: stimulate, excite, stir]
7: provide the needed stimulus for [syn: provoke, stimulate]

Merriam Webster's

verb (-lated; -lating) Etymology: Latin stimulatus, past participle of stimulare, from stimulus goad; perhaps akin to Latin stilus stem, stylus — more at style Date: 1566 transitive verb 1. to excite to activity or growth or to greater activity ; animate, arouse 2. a. to function as a physiological stimulus to b. to arouse or affect by a stimulant (as a drug) intransitive verb to act as a stimulant or stimulus Synonyms: see provoke • stimulation noun • stimulative adjective • stimulator noun • stimulatory adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 apply or act as a stimulus to. 2 animate, excite, arouse. 3 be a stimulant to. Derivatives: stimulating adj. stimulatingly adv. stimulation n. stimulative adj. stimulator n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stimulate Stim"u*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stimulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Stimulating.] [L. stimulatus, p. p. of stimulare to prick or goad on, to incite, fr. stimulus a goad. See Stimulus.] 1. To excite as if with a goad; to excite, rouse, or animate, to action or more vigorous exertion by some pungent motive or by persuasion; as, to stimulate one by the hope of reward, or by the prospect of glory. To excite and stimulate us thereunto. --Dr. J. Scott. 2. (Physiol.) To excite; to irritate; especially, to excite the activity of (a nerve or an irritable muscle), as by electricity. Syn: To animate; incite; encourage; impel; urge; instigate; irritate; exasperate; incense.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stimulates, stimulating, stimulated) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. To stimulate something means to encourage it to begin or develop further. America's priority is rightly to stimulate its economy... The Russian health service has stimulated public interest in home cures. VERB: V n, V n • stimulation ...an economy in need of stimulation. N-UNCOUNT 2. If you are stimulated by something, it makes you feel full of ideas and enthusiasm. Bill was stimulated by the challenge... I was stimulated to examine my deepest thoughts. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed, be V-ed to-inf • stimulating It is a complex yet stimulating book... The atmosphere was always stimulating. ADJ • stimulation Many enjoy the mental stimulation of a challenging job. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp 3. If something stimulates a part of a person's body, it causes it to move or start working. Exercise stimulates the digestive and excretory systems... The body is stimulated to build up resistance. VERB: V n, be V-ed to-inf • stimulating ...the stimulating effect of adrenaline. ADJ • stimulation ...physical stimulation. ...the chemical stimulation of drugs. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Incite, excite, instigate, animate, awaken, provoke, pique, encourage, inspirit, urge, prompt, goad, rouse, arouse, whet, foment, spur, impel, inflame, fire, kindle, stir up, set on, work up, prick, fillip, irritate, exasperate, incense.

Moby Thesaurus

activate, actuate, affect the interest, animate, animating, arouse, attract, awaken, brace, brace up, bracing, bring forth, bring out, bring to light, brisk, brisken, buck up, call forth, call out, call up, cheer, chirk up, compel, concern, cultivate, deduce, derive, drag out, draw forth, draw out, dynamize, educe, electrify, elicit, encourage, energize, enliven, enlivening, evoke, excite, excite interest, exhilarate, exhilarating, exhilarative, fascinate, fillip, fire, force, fortify, foster, fresh up, freshen, freshen up, fuel, galvanize, get from, get out of, goad, hearten, impel, incite, increase, induce, inflame, infuse life into, inspire, inspiring, inspirit, interest, intoxicating, invigorate, invite, involve in, jazz up, jolt, kindle, lively, liven, make sensitive, motivate, move, move to action, nourish, obtain, pep up, perk up, pick up, pique, procure, promote, prompt, propel, provocative, provoke, quicken, quickening, reanimate, recreate, refine, refresh, refreshen, regale, reinvigorate, renew, resuscitate, revive, revivify, rouse, rousing, secure, seminal, sensibilize, sensitize, set in motion, set up, sharpen, snap up, spark, spirit up, spur, stimulating, stimulative, stir, stir up, stirring, suggestive, summon forth, summon up, tantalize, tickle, titillate, tonic, vitalize, vitalizing, vivify, wake up, waken, wangle, wangle out of, warm, whet, whip up, winkle out, worm out, worm out of, zip up