inspire
verb
Wisdom of Solomon 15:11
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More on the Meaning of Inspire
When inspire first came into use in the 14th century it had a meaning it still carries in English today: “to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural influence or action.” It’s this use that we see in phrases like “scripture inspired by God,” where the idea is that God shaped the scripture in an active and explicit way.
The meaning is a metaphorical extension of the word's Latin root: inspirare means "to breathe or blow into." The metaphor is a powerful one, with the very breath of a divine or supernatural force asserted as being at work.
The metaphor developed further, with inspire gaining similar but somewhat weaker meanings. Someone who is inspired by a particular artist, for example, is influenced by that artist in a way that animates or intensifies their own work. Something that inspires people to action motivates them. And if we say that something has inspired an emotion, thought, or idea, we are saying that it somehow had a part in its coming to be.
The word inspire has also drawn on the meaning of its literal root over the years, with meanings like "inhale," "to breathe or blow into or upon," and "to infuse (something, such as life) by breathing," but these meanings are not commonly encountered in modern use.
Synonyms
Examples of inspire in a Sentence
David Morgan, Deadline, 8 Feb. 2025
The spy thriller series is inspired by a real-life undercover operation that enlists female operatives known as Lionesses.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
The 2022 law, which created the Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, was inspired by model legislation offered up by President Joe Biden’s administration and was meant to ensure that the settlement funds were put to use counteracting the deadly effects of the opioid epidemic.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
In this Little Caesars Pizza ad, the pure delight inspired by a sampling of the pizza chain's new Crazy Puffs causes Eugene's famously bushy eyebrows to take flight, leaving panic and confusion in their wake.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Inspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inspire. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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