stimulate
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to make something happen or develop more quickly, especially an economy or a process.
to encourage or promote the development of or increased activity in a system or process.
Simple“The government lowered interest rates to stimulate the economy and encourage spending.”
In context“The central bank implemented several aggressive measures intended to stimulate domestic investment after a prolonged period of stagnation.”
UsageOften used with abstract nouns like 'economy', 'growth', or 'demand'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to make someone feel interested or excited about something, or to make their brain more active.
to arouse interest, curiosity, or intellectual engagement in a person.
Simple“The teacher used colourful pictures to stimulate the children's imagination.”
In context“The professor's lecture was designed to stimulate critical thinking rather than simply provide a list of facts for memorisation.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to make a part of the body or a plant start working or react to something.
to arouse an organism or a specific body part to functional activity through a stimulus.
Simple“Bright light can stimulate the eyes and make it hard to fall asleep.”
In context“The hormone is known to stimulate the production of red blood cells in response to low oxygen levels in the environment.”
UsageFrequently used in medical and biological contexts with 'cells', 'nerves', or 'organs'.
Usage stimulate activity · stimulate development · stimulate growth
“Other products available today stimulate immune responses at the expense of growth and development.”
Etymology tree Latin stimulus Latin stimulo Latin stimulatusbor. English stimulate Borrowed from Latin stimulātus, perfect passive participle of stimulō (“to urge, goad on”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin stimulus (“a sting or prick; a stimulus, goad”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.