exhort

verb

ex·​hort ig-ˈzȯrt 

exhorted; exhorting; exhorts

transitive verb

: to incite by argument or advice : urge strongly

exhorting voters to do the right thing

intransitive verb

: to give warnings or advice : make urgent appeals

exhorter noun

Did you know?

If you want to add a little oomph to your urge in speech or writing—and formal oomph at that—we exhort you to try using exhort as a synonym instead. Arriving in the 15th century from the Anglo-French word exorter, exhort traces back further to the Latin verb hortari, meaning “to incite to action, urge on, or encourage.” Latin users added the prefix ex- to hortari to intensify it; in essence, exhortari is a succinct way of saying “to really, really urge.” The Latin words adhortari (its meaning similar to that of exhortari) and dehortari (“to dissuade”) also found their way into English as adhort and dehort, respectively, but neither of these remains in current use.

Synonyms

• egg (on)
• encourage
• goad
• nudge
• press
• prod
• prompt
• urge

Examples of exhort in a Sentence

He exhorted his people to take back their land.

She exhorted her listeners to support the proposition.

Recent Examples on the Web

On cue, Kittle rose from the bench and began exhorting the crowd as well as his teammates. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024

On Tuesday, Harris is scheduled to speak at the Ellipse in Washington, the site where Trump exhorted a crowd of supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, to march on the Capitol in an effort to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory. —David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024

Washington has exhorted its European and Asian allies to carry more weight for years and has been met mostly with shrugs and excuses. —Ivo Daalder, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2018

On an August day in 2011, a man stood outside City Hall in Newark, New Jersey, exhorting a crowd through a wireless microphone. —Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French exorter, from Latin exhortari, from ex- + hortari to incite — more at yearn

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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Kids Definition

exhort

verb

ex·​hort ig-ˈzȯrt 

: to urge strongly

exhorted all citizens to vote

exhorter noun