stimulus

noun

stim·​u·​lus ˈstim-yə-ləs How to pronounce stimulus (audio)
plural stimuli ˈstim-yə-ˌlī How to pronounce stimulus (audio) -ˌlē How to pronounce stimulus (audio)
Synonyms of stimulus
: something that rouses or incites to activity: such as
a
: incentive
b
: stimulant sense 1
c
: an agent (such as an environmental change) that directly influences the activity of a living organism or one of its parts (as by exciting a sensory organ or evoking muscular contraction or glandular secretion)

Synonyms of stimulus

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of stimulus in a Sentence

The pay raise was a stimulus for production. Heat and light are physical stimuli. The dog responded to the stimulus of the ringing bell.
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.
The export and manufacturing-led economic resilience is expected to reinforce Beijing’s reluctance to roll out stimulus to revive tepid consumer demand. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 July 2026 In Vibe Science studies, the autonomic nervous system shifts toward parasympathetic activation as the brain entrains to the stimulus, producing lower arousal and readiness for sleep and recovery. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026 No single reason exists for that evolution, but Imai’s recent success is an obvious stimulus. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 July 2026 But if productivity growth is low, then stimulus just turns into inflation—too many dollars chasing too few goods. — Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for stimulus

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stimulus was in 1684

Rhymes for stimulus

See All Rhymes for stimulus

Browse Nearby Words

stimulogenous
stimulus
stimulus diffusion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stimulus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stimulus. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

stimulus

noun
stim·​u·​lus ˈstim-yə-ləs How to pronounce stimulus (audio)
plural stimuli -ˌlī How to pronounce stimulus (audio)
-ˌlē
1
: something that rouses or stirs to action : incentive
2
: something (as an environmental change) that acts to partly change bodily activity (as by exciting a sensory organ)
heat, light, and sound are common physical stimuli

Medical Definition

stimulus

noun
stim·​u·​lus ˈstim-yə-ləs How to pronounce stimulus (audio)
plural stimuli -ˌlī How to pronounce stimulus (audio) -ˌlē How to pronounce stimulus (audio)
1
: stimulant sense 1
2
: an agent (as an environmental change) that directly influences the activity of living protoplasm (as by exciting a sensory organ or evoking muscular contraction or glandular secretion)
a visual stimulus

More from Merriam-Webster on stimulus

Nglish: Translation of stimulus for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stimulus

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of yaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All