stimulus
n. countablen. something that causes a reaction or makes a person or thing become more active. You use this to describe what starts a change in behavior or growth.
n. an external or internal event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ or tissue. Often used in psychological or economic contexts to describe an incentive or catalyst for activity.
The bright light was a stimulus for the plant to grow.
The government introduced a new tax break as a stimulus to encourage small business investment.
In classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned response through repeated pairing, eventually eliciting the behavior independently.
Borrowed from Latin stimulus (“goad, prick”).
The plural form is 'stimuli'. Often used with the preposition 'to' or 'for'.
The stimulus's were effective.The stimuli were effective.The word follows Latin pluralization rules; the plural of stimulus is stimuli, not stimuluses or stimulus's.