as in incentive
something that arouses action or activity
seeing a Broadway play for the first time was the stimulus for her career in the theater
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 stimulus
In 2021 and 2022, when a gusher of federal stimulus payments hit the nation’s bank accounts, America went shopping—revenge spending.
—
Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
China’s central bank made its first cut to its loan prime rates in seven months in a move welcomed by investors eager for more stimulus as the world’s second largest economy feels the pinch of Trump’s higher tariffs.
—Matt Ott, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025
The recordings revealed that AWB and ASH, two neurons that are responsible for making sense of olfactory stimuli, were activated when the corpses and fluids were present, indicating that the worms were smelling the signature of death.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2025
When we get stung by a wasp, the association between pain and wasps is encoded in the region of the brain called the amygdala, which connects simple stimuli with basic emotions.
—ArsTechnica, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stimulus
Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
China’s central bank made its first cut to its loan prime rates in seven months in a move welcomed by investors eager for more stimulus as the world’s second largest economy feels the pinch of Trump’s higher tariffs.
—Matt Ott, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025
The recordings revealed that AWB and ASH, two neurons that are responsible for making sense of olfactory stimuli, were activated when the corpses and fluids were present, indicating that the worms were smelling the signature of death.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 23 May 2025
When we get stung by a wasp, the association between pain and wasps is encoded in the region of the brain called the amygdala, which connects simple stimuli with basic emotions.
—ArsTechnica, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stimulus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stimulus
Noun
-
The Biden administration sought to encourage manufacturers to build in the United States, but those efforts are still in their early stages, and many of the government incentives are now on the chopping block.—
Dan Gearino,
Wired News,
31 May 2025
-
With a tiny sliver of activist voters holding the same power to deny a candidate an office as a majority of the broad general electorate, the incentives for bipartisanship have all but disappeared in most states and districts.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
The church declined an interview and did not respond to specific questions about the impetus for the change.—
Lauren Jackson,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
-
The immigration issue was Worsley’s impetus to enter politics.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
While this is good news, student loan borrowers should remember this drop shouldn't be taken as encouragement to acquire more student debt at lower rates.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
-
Kelly had posted several photos on social media while inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as insurrectionists injured police officers and destroyed Capitol property with prior encouragement from President Donald Trump at a rally.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
The days of dodging class or suffering from a lack of motivation appear to be a thing of the past at Alpha School, a private pre-K through eighth grade institution that utilizes personalized artificial intelligence to teach an entire day of core academic lessons in just two hours.—
Alex Backus,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
-
Have the Yankees used that fifth inning for motivation or just flushed it?—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stimulus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stimulus. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share