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
Miran’s appointment has spurred concerns over the Fed's independence from politics.
—
Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
The expiration of Bay Area eviction bans also spurred a wave of displacement.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Little wonder authoritarian states were spurred by the Arab Spring into enacting draconian internet controls.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
That move followed a fight at Fourth and Elm streets on July 26 that attracted some 100 participants, spurred charges against seven involved parties and ignited a social media storm that painted Cincinnati as crime-ridden.
—Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spurred
Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
The expiration of Bay Area eviction bans also spurred a wave of displacement.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Little wonder authoritarian states were spurred by the Arab Spring into enacting draconian internet controls.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
That move followed a fight at Fourth and Elm streets on July 26 that attracted some 100 participants, spurred charges against seven involved parties and ignited a social media storm that painted Cincinnati as crime-ridden.
—Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spurred
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurred
Verb
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The designer, who styled the show himself, looked to music, a consistent muse, and dug his aesthetic heels into the '90s grunge look.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Vineyards in Lanzarote are one of a kind—mini craters, or hoyos, are dug by hand to grow grapes in volcanic ash, known as picón.—
Lauren David,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Just after noon, officers from BPD and the School Police Unit responded to a report of a teen stabbed in the Roxbury high school building, spokesperson Sgt.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Frank was also found bound in the basement, stabbed multiple times in the neck and chest.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As much as analyst Jessica Reif Erlich prodded, Woodbury declined to give numbers of any sort for Epic post-launch.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
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But Voccola said he was prodded into action after the City Commission voted 3-2 in June to postpone the November 2025 election to 2026 without voter approval.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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No movie poked holes in the stereotypical puffy rock-star ego more effectively than Spinal Tap did, and there are legions of fans who have the film almost completely memorized.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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After the cyberstalking ordeal came to an end and started making national news, the Wilsons poked fun at Kendra's fate by dressing up a scarecrow in a prison jumpsuit with a mask of her mugshot over its face, per The Cut.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After McNeil refused to get out of his car, Bowers smashed the driver’s side window, punched McNeil in the head and pulled him out of the SUV.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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The man, later identified as 39-year-old Ismael Hernandez-Padilla, pulled the woman into an empty lot, thenstrangled and punched her, police said.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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During her trial, prosecutors said Rodriguez had goaded the officers for video views.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To manage the thousands of people who descend daily, operators have studied visitors’ behavior and engineered their parks to move people around without anyone realizing they’re being nudged.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
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Student tickets nudged down, too, from 8,013 to 7,823.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Grant Delpit turned heads during the 2024 NFL season when his strong tackle knocked 252-pound running back Derrick Henry to the turf.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Progressives fumbled their 2022 campaigns for the seat, when multiple candidates with left-wing credentials knocked each other out, letting Goldman prevail with just 26% of the vote.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spurred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurred. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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