ENGLISH
REFERENCE

inspire

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˌɪnˈspaɪɹ// UK //ɪnspˈaɪə// in·spire Archaic General-service

v. to give someone the idea or the energy to do something creative or good. You feel this when a person or an event makes you want to improve yourself.

v. to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially something creative or positive. Transitive — requires a direct object, often followed by an infinitive clause.


SIMPLE

The beautiful sunset inspires me to paint.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher's passion for history continues to inspire her students to pursue their own research projects.

COMPLEX

Great leaders do not merely issue commands; they inspire their followers to transcend their perceived limitations and work toward a shared vision of the future.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English inspiren, enspiren, from Old French inspirer, variant of espirer, from Latin īnspīrāre (“inspire”), itself a loan-translation of Biblical Ancient Greek πνέω (pnéō, “breathe”), from in + spīrō (“breathe”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow, breathe”). Displaced native Old English onbryrdan (literally “to prick in”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and often takes the pattern 'inspire someone to do something'.

Pitfall

His speech inspired to meHis speech inspired meInspire is a transitive verb and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.

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