as in dug
to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object
gently spurred the horse with his heels
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spurred
Coupled with weak jobs data, investor AI jitters spurred a wipeout of nearly $1 trillion from software and services stocks.
—
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
The direct-pay model has been gaining traction in the pharma industry for years, spurred in part by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk and their GLP-1 obesity drugs.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 6 Feb. 2026
The remark, found in a January 2016 email, has spurred negative reaction on social media.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spurred
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
The direct-pay model has been gaining traction in the pharma industry for years, spurred in part by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk and their GLP-1 obesity drugs.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 6 Feb. 2026
The remark, found in a January 2016 email, has spurred negative reaction on social media.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spurred
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurred
Verb
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Those unable to find cloth or wood dug holes in the ground.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
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Downstream, though, a large dip in the jet stream, or trough, has dug its claws in, bringing wave after wave of Arctic air southward, along with conditions that are ideal for forming powerful winter storms.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The victim was stabbed multiple times in the back as the quarrel escalated, police said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Elordi strides naturally through the film’s burning-of-Atlanta orange sunscapes and its grasslands stabbed by obsidian spikes of rock.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Other officials, too, prodded the IDNR after they were caught unaware about the possibility that the marina would not open for the 2026 season.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
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When Reusters/Ipsos respondents were prodded about which party had the better approach on immigration, the GOP held the edge with 37% versus Democrats at 32%.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The sports journalist, who split from Kelce in 2022, joined forces with Tiffany Haddish, Ben Simmons, and Offset in a Sleeper commercial that poked fun at the aftermath of calling it quits in the spotlight.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
10 Feb. 2026
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Altman and other senior executives took to social media to respond to swipes from Anthropic, which ran Super Bowl ads that poked fun at OpenAI's decision to run ads within ChatGPT.—
Ashley Capoot,Kate Rooney,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Abigail Boyd, an opposition Green lawmaker in the state parliament, said she had been punched by officers while attempting to vacate the site.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 Feb. 2026
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But McCalla then got up, pursued Mudd and punched him.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trump, though never restrained, is now pure id, acting on impulse and goaded on by advisers who see an opportunity to further expand executive power.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
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Her ups and downs were a regular punch line on late-night talk shows, starting with her first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1985, when she was goaded into agreeing to lose 15 lbs.—
Eileen Finan,
PEOPLE,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In contrast to Luckin's typical offerings priced at roughly $1 or $2 for an Americano or latte, the flagship store has nudged prices slightly higher for a range of pour-over and cold brew coffee drinks.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
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In nonconference games, Arizona nudged Florida (93-87), UCLA (69-65) and UConn (71-67) and also ran away from Auburn (97-68) and Alabama (96-75).—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Coarse stones with large crystals chip and fracture easily when knocked together.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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In the letter to Demacopoulos, the family said Gutiérrez told a friend that her boyfriend punched her and knocked one out.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurred. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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