as in stimulus
something that arouses action or activity
Her expulsion from the university proved to be a catalyst for needed change.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
Those incidents were apparently used as the catalyst for the comments from Hess and his teammate Chris Lillis.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026
While several key players are already months into their rehabilitation from serious injuries – Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams – their offensive catalyst sounds surprisingly refreshed only a few weeks after the season.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Forward movement was always the catalyst for Jaime Sussel Kravitz, who confidently navigated across cities, careers, identities, and industries, seeking work that felt expansive and aligned with her purpose.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Aldi’s arrival in Colorado may be the necessary catalyst for disruption.
—Jack Buffington, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026
While several key players are already months into their rehabilitation from serious injuries – Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykel Williams – their offensive catalyst sounds surprisingly refreshed only a few weeks after the season.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Forward movement was always the catalyst for Jaime Sussel Kravitz, who confidently navigated across cities, careers, identities, and industries, seeking work that felt expansive and aligned with her purpose.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
Aldi’s arrival in Colorado may be the necessary catalyst for disruption.
—Jack Buffington, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst
Noun
-
His campaign focuses on national security and economic stimulus.—
GRANT PECK,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
On Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s party won a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house of parliament, as voters gave a resounding endorsement of her right-wing agenda, which includes fiscal stimulus.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
At some point, those fuel sources will be exhausted, no further energy will be naturally extracted from what remains within them, and those once-brilliant objects will fade away into darkness.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Iran seizes 2 ships on smuggling claims DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, state television reported, claiming the vessels had been smuggling fuel.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Crashes, luge athletes will tell you, are part of the game, a necessary teaching tool that helps young lugers learn how to navigate sliding on their back down an icy course, sometimes faster than 90 miles per hour.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The Enquirer's Neighborhood Snapshot project is an interactive, online tool for Cincinnatians to better understand their city and its neighborhoods.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
My f******* idiot self had the stupid finger on the trigger.—
Stephanie Slifer,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The collaborative effort revealed that the specific pairing of the amino acids arginine and tyrosine acts as a chemical trigger, sparking the initial clustering of proteins that eventually form the solid fiber.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Even cursory nods to the pandemic as the root cause of neighbors turning against neighbors aren’t explored so much as they’re acknowledged, as if viewers are somehow unaware of the polarization plaguing America.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Fiber intake, in particular, showed a strong association with longevity, while consuming lots of sugary beverages was linked to higher all-cause mortality.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The robot is equipped with two articulated arms mounted to a central vertical lift mechanism.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Alexander Bublik, who switched through a similar mechanism, cracked the men’s top 10 for the first time last month.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Poor weather was the impetus for the decision.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
4 Feb. 2026
-
What was the impetus for your first chess game?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But a block in the back penalty on Dell Pettus negated the return, and New England starts at its own 27 desperately needing a spark.—
February 9,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Scorpio October 23 – November 21 Scorpio, your spark can brighten every room.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalyst. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
