inspire
/ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/US/ɪnˈspaɪɹ/
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.
Verb
inspire (third-person singular simple present inspires, present participle inspiring, simple past and past participle inspired)
- 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.
- Dawning day new comfort hath inspired.c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
- He knew not his Maker, and him that inspired into him an active soul.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Wisdom 15:11
- 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.
- The captain's speech was aimed to inspire her team to victory in the final.
- To draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale.
- By means of those sulfurous coal smokes the lungs are as it were stifled and extremely oppressed, whereby they are forced to inspire and expire the air with difficulty.1672, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus, Or, The Anatomy of Consumptions
- Everything was elaborately padded, even the Myers apparatus which was to absorb carbonic acid and replace the oxygen inspired by its tenant1896, H. G. Wells, In the Abyss, Pearson's Magazine
- To infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing.
- To breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate.
- Deſcend ye nine! deſcend and ſing; / The breathing inſtruments inſpire, / VVake into voice each ſilent ſtring, / And ſvveep the ſounding lyre!1687 (date written), Alexander Pope, “Ode for Musick on St. Cecilia’s Day”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC, canto I, page...
- To spread rumour indirectly.
inspire meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
inspire in Hindi
- to inspire, motivate, encourage
- प्रेरित करना prerit karnā
inspire in Tamil
- ஊக்கமூட்டு, எழுச்சியூட்டு
inspire in Urdu
- پھونک مارنا, پھونکنا
inspire in Bengali
- অনুপ্রাণিত করা, উৎসাহিত করা, মনে জাগিয়ে তোলা
More languagesFewer languages
- inspire in Malayalam
- പ്രേരകമായിരിക്കുക, ആവേശിപ്പിക്കുക, ഉൾപ്രവേശിപ്പിക്കുക, ശ്വസിക്കുക
- inspire in Kannada
- ಉಸಿರೆಳೆ, ಕಡಂಗು, ಕಡಗು, ಕಡುಗು
- inspire in Punjabi
- ਪ੍ਰੇਰਿਤ ਕਰਨਾ
- inspire in Odia
- ପ୍ରେରଣା ଦେବା
- inspire in Sanskrit
- चोदयति codayati
- inspire in Nepali
- प्रेरित गर्ने
Examples of inspire in a sentence
- […] and whose example of reverence and devotion was so well calculated to inspire confidence and attachment in every class of the community?1810, Cobbett's Political Register - Volume 17, page 379:
- Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19...
- Erato, thy poet's mind inspire, / And fill his soul with thy celestial fire.1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis....
Synonyms of inspire
Antonyms
Forms of inspire
| third-person singular present | inspires |
|---|---|
| present participle | inspiring |
| past participle | inspired |
| past | inspired |
Origin of inspire
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”).
Words formed from inspire
Words that rhyme with inspire
48 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- choir
- desire
- esquire
- tire
- acquire
- admire
- dire
- empire
- respire
- sire
- transpire
- trier
- dryer
- friar
- fryer
- gyre
- lyre
- mire
- misfire
- require
- underfire
- aspire
- bemire
- buyer
- conspire
- inquire
- overfire
- perspire
- quire
- tyre
- attire
- briar
- crier
- higher
- lier
- overtire
- Pryor
- pyre
- re-retire
- retrochoir
- rewire
- supplier
- suspire
- underwire
- unretire
- afire
- byre
- drier
Questions about inspire
- What does inspire mean?
- Inspire means 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.
- What is inspire in Hindi?
- Inspire in Hindi is प्रेरित करना (prerit karnā). See Inspire meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use inspire in a sentence?
- […] and whose example of reverence and devotion was so well calculated to inspire confidence and attachment in every class of the community?
- What part of speech is inspire?
- Inspire is a verb.
- How do you pronounce inspire?
- Inspire is pronounced /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of inspire?
- The past tense of inspire is inspired.
Words near inspire in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: inspire (page history and authors); प्रेरित करना (Hindi) (page history and authors); inspire (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); inspire (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); Inspire (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); inspire (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); inspire (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); inspire (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); inspire (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); चोदयति (Sanskrit) (page history and authors); inspire (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-inspire.wav.
Cite this entry: “inspire.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/inspire. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.