as in stimulus
something that arouses action or activity
Her expulsion from the university proved to be a catalyst for needed change.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of catalyst
Per her Club Shay Shay interview, a photo with Drake allegedly served as a catalyst to the breakup.
—
Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 4 Mar. 2025
The film takes on Proustian dimensions by using a smoking pipe as the catalyst for the old man’s memories, which come to life in beautiful drawings by animator Kunio Katō.
—Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
While structural changes are critical, women can also be their own catalyst for change.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Both players are major offensive catalysts for their teams with equally strong relative impacts at five-on-five, though Hutson does give a bit more back defensively.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 4 Mar. 2025
The film takes on Proustian dimensions by using a smoking pipe as the catalyst for the old man’s memories, which come to life in beautiful drawings by animator Kunio Katō.
—Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
While structural changes are critical, women can also be their own catalyst for change.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Both players are major offensive catalysts for their teams with equally strong relative impacts at five-on-five, though Hutson does give a bit more back defensively.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst
Noun
-
The Speaker of the House also threw cold water on the idea of a DOGE Dividend stimulus check according to The Hill.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Will there be a DOGE stimulus check?What to know about whether Americans will see savings Another step to take is to start moving a few hundred dollars of your monthly take-home pay into an emergency savings fund, a dwindling backup many Americans have had to dip into amid rising costs.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Back then, the U.S. was trying to conserve fuel and energy for World War I and shifted clocks to make use of natural evening sunlight.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Speaking on Friday in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump suggested that Iran’s nuclear capabilities — which now include enough near-bomb-grade fuel to produce about six weapons — were reaching a critical point.—
David E. Sanger,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This versatile bag also makes a thoughtful gift for any traveler, offering enough space to fit hair tools, toiletries, medication, and more.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Mar. 2025
-
What to watch: Scores of health tech companies now advertise tools, often driven by artificial intelligence, aimed at cutting down provider workload by automating administrative tasks.—
Maya Goldman,
Axios,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Move away from any triggers, such as dust, cleaning products, and smoke.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The disruptive weather has the potential to cause widespread travel delays and could delay flights and trigger ground stops, AccuWeather warned.—
Patrick Smith,
NBC News,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Chile's interior minister Carolina Toha said the outage was caused by a transmission line failure in the country's north, ruling out a cyber attack as a cause.—
Fabian Cambero and Alexander Villegas,
USA TODAY,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The school board fired Martinez on Dec. 20 without cause, and just a few days later, several of those same board members attended ongoing teachers contract negotiations.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
An internal support mechanism keeps your head cradled in an ergonomic position, preventing a stiff neck.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
4 Mar. 2025
-
No authentication mechanism is invulnerable to exploitations.—
Ranjitkumar Sivakumar,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Bitcoin Bitcoin remains trapped in a range below the key psychological level of $100,000 without any new impetus from Trump.—
Medora Lee,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
-
That’s not an overwhelming financial impetus, but a team in the Giants’ position can allocate that money better.—
Dan Pompei,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Luis experienced the success of mastery and felt the spark of internal motivation.—
Jenny Anderson,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The veteran has found a home with the Nuggets and has given their bench unit a massive spark this season.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalyst. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share