Definitions for inspire
ɪnˈspaɪərin·spire

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. inspire, animate, invigorate, enliven, exalt(verb)

   heighten or intensify

   "These paintings exalt the imagination"

2. inspire(verb)

   supply the inspiration for

   "The article about the artist inspired the exhibition of his recent work"

3. prompt, inspire, instigate(verb)

   serve as the inciting cause of

   "She prompted me to call my relatives"

4. cheer, root on, inspire, urge, barrack, urge on, exhort, pep up(verb)

   spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts

   "The crowd cheered the demonstrating strikers"

5. revolutionize, revolutionise, inspire(verb)

   fill with revolutionary ideas

6. inhale, inspire, breathe in(verb)

   draw in (air)

   "Inhale deeply"; "inhale the fresh mountain air"; "The patient has trouble inspiring"; "The lung cancer patient cannot inspire air very well"

GCIDE(4.00 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Inspire(v. t.)

   To infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence; to fill with what animates, enlivens, or exalts; to communicate inspiration to; as, to inspire a child with sentiments of virtue; to inspire a person to do extraordinary feats.

   Etymology: [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. inspire(Verb)

   To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by inspiration.

   Etymology: From enspirer, from inspirare, present active infinitive of inspiro, itself a loan-translation of the Ancient Greek πνέω in the Bible, from in + spiro.

2. inspire(Verb)

   To infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence; to fill with what animates, enlivens or exalts; to communicate inspiration to.

   Elders should inspire children with sentiments of virtue.

   Etymology: From enspirer, from inspirare, present active infinitive of inspiro, itself a loan-translation of the Ancient Greek πνέω in the Bible, from in + spiro.

3. inspire(Verb)

   To draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale.

   Etymology: From enspirer, from inspirare, present active infinitive of inspiro, itself a loan-translation of the Ancient Greek πνέω in the Bible, from in + spiro.

4. inspire(Verb)

   To infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing.

   Etymology: From enspirer, from inspirare, present active infinitive of inspiro, itself a loan-translation of the Ancient Greek πνέω in the Bible, from in + spiro.

5. inspire(Verb)

   To breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate.

   Etymology: From enspirer, from inspirare, present active infinitive of inspiro, itself a loan-translation of the Ancient Greek πνέω in the Bible, from in + spiro.

6. inspire(Verb)

   To spread rumour indirectly.

   Etymology: From enspirer, from inspirare, present active infinitive of inspiro, itself a loan-translation of the Ancient Greek πνέω in the Bible, from in + spiro.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Inspire(verb)

   to breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate

   Etymology: [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]

2. Inspire(verb)

   to infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing

   Etymology: [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]

3. Inspire(verb)

   to draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale; -- opposed to expire

   Etymology: [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]

4. Inspire(verb)

   to infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by inspiration

   Etymology: [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]

5. Inspire(verb)

   to infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence; to fill with what animates, enlivens, or exalts; to communicate inspiration to; as, to inspire a child with sentiments of virtue

   Etymology: [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]

6. Inspire(verb)

   to draw in breath; to inhale air into the lungs; -- opposed to expire

   Etymology: [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]

7. Inspire(verb)

   to breathe; to blow gently

   Etymology: [OE. enspiren, OF. enspirer, inspirer, F. inspirer, fr. L. inspirare; pref. in- in + spirare to breathe. See Spirit.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Inspire

   in-spīr′, v.t. to breathe into: to draw or inhale into the lungs: to infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing: to infuse into the mind: to instruct by divine influence: to instruct or affect with a superior influence.—v.i. to draw in the breath.—adj. Inspir′able, able to be inhaled.—n. Inspirā′tion, the act of inspiring or breathing into: a breath: the divine influence by which the sacred writers of the Bible were instructed: superior elevating or exciting influence.—adjs. Inspirā′tional, Inspiratory (in-spir′a-tor-i, or in′spir-a-tor-i), belonging to or aiding inspiration or inhalation.—n. Inspirā′tionist, one who maintains the direct inspiration of the Scriptures.—adj. Inspired′, actuated or directed by divine influence: influenced by elevated feeling: prompted by superior, but not openly declared, knowledge or authority: actually authoritative.—n. Inspir′er.—adv. Inspir′ingly. [Fr.,—L. inspirāre—in, into, spirāre, to breathe.]

CrunchBase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Inspire

   "ClinicaHealth"which builds online communities for health organizations has changed its name to "Inspire".This company was founded 2005 to allow individuals and caregivers facing specific health conditions to connect with one another in a secure, privacy-protected environment.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. inspire

   To provide with intuitive, accurate, specific sane, practical and logical ideas and thoughts.

   She did inspire her teammates as much as they inspired her.

   Submitted by MaryC on March 11, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'inspire' in Verbs Frequency: #666

Anagrams for inspire »

1. spinier

How to pronounce inspire?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say inspire in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of inspire in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of inspire in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of inspire in a Sentence

1. Adam Savage:

   I'm so excited to be returning to Discovery to work with these kids on a new incarnation of the show I love so much, to be able to confront them with great questions and the resources to answer them is such a dream. Helping to inspire future scientists and engineers is a mission I share with Discovery.

2. Emeasoba George:

   Persistence guarantees expected result i.e. a satisfactory outcome. Likewise, motivation or inspiration guarantees aspiration or ambition. Thus, endeavour to motivate or inspire someone else, others or the world as a whole as much as you can and as often as you can. ~Emeasoba George

3. Lizzy Hegney:

   Inspire to be a rainbow and you will never stop living.

4. Jessica Chastain:

   I believe that the energy you put into the world is what you get back, so I’m trying to put something positive out there, something to inspire girls and go into science, to run for office, to try to join the space program.

5. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images:

   The Bible says, if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand, there have been many calls to heal the divide that has polarized our great nation. The American Cornerstone Institute will be a leader and part of the solution. Our goal is simple: heal, inspire, and revive America.

Images & Illustrations of inspire

Popularity rank by frequency of use