as in stimulus
something that arouses action or activity
Her expulsion from the university proved to be a catalyst for needed change.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of catalyst
Per her Club Shay Shay interview, a photo with Drake allegedly served as a catalyst to the breakup.
—
Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 4 Mar. 2025
The film takes on Proustian dimensions by using a smoking pipe as the catalyst for the old man’s memories, which come to life in beautiful drawings by animator Kunio Katō.
—Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
While structural changes are critical, women can also be their own catalyst for change.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Both players are major offensive catalysts for their teams with equally strong relative impacts at five-on-five, though Hutson does give a bit more back defensively.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 4 Mar. 2025
The film takes on Proustian dimensions by using a smoking pipe as the catalyst for the old man’s memories, which come to life in beautiful drawings by animator Kunio Katō.
—Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
While structural changes are critical, women can also be their own catalyst for change.
—Margie Warrell, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Both players are major offensive catalysts for their teams with equally strong relative impacts at five-on-five, though Hutson does give a bit more back defensively.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst
Noun
-
The Speaker of the House also threw cold water on the idea of a DOGE Dividend stimulus check according to The Hill.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Will there be a DOGE stimulus check?What to know about whether Americans will see savings Another step to take is to start moving a few hundred dollars of your monthly take-home pay into an emergency savings fund, a dwindling backup many Americans have had to dip into amid rising costs.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The single-aisle, long-range plane with improved fuel efficiency could open a flood of new transatlantic flights.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Speaking on Friday in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump suggested that Iran’s nuclear capabilities — which now include enough near-bomb-grade fuel to produce about six weapons — were reaching a critical point.—
David E. Sanger,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
While misinformation and distortion of facts become tools of manipulation, documentary filmmaking reminds us of the power of truth.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2025
-
What to watch: Scores of health tech companies now advertise tools, often driven by artificial intelligence, aimed at cutting down provider workload by automating administrative tasks.—
Maya Goldman,
Axios,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Move away from any triggers, such as dust, cleaning products, and smoke.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The disruptive weather has the potential to cause widespread travel delays and could delay flights and trigger ground stops, AccuWeather warned.—
Patrick Smith,
NBC News,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
William and his assistants were nonetheless able to build solid pillars of data, mass death broken down into discrete numerals to represent sexes, ages, locations, seasons, years, and causes of mortality, which included starvation, scurvy, dysentery, cholera, typhus, and relapsing fever.—
Fintan O'Toole,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Amid uncertainty about the incident's cause, Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said there may have been an autopilot issue.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In Iraq, for instance, the Coalition Provisional Authority, the transitional government set up by the United States after the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003, established accountability mechanisms for members of the regime almost immediately.—
PATRICK VINCK,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Mar. 2025
-
An internal support mechanism keeps your head cradled in an ergonomic position, preventing a stiff neck.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Bitcoin Bitcoin remains trapped in a range below the key psychological level of $100,000 without any new impetus from Trump.—
Medora Lee,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
-
That’s not an overwhelming financial impetus, but a team in the Giants’ position can allocate that money better.—
Dan Pompei,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Just as startups grow from a spark of an idea to a structured organization, so can an emerging family office evolve from a single visionary founder to a sophisticated ecosystem.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Related Articles Tariffs raise prices, spark conflict and impoverish everyone While alternative media have become more important in exposing legislative malfeasance, there has also been increasing scrutiny of the majority party by mainstream media.—
Jon Coupal,
Orange County Register,
8 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalyst. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share