Meaning & use
inspire
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To make someone feel eager and confident enough to do something, especially something creative or worthwhile.
Grammar: Takes an object, often followed by to and a verb: inspire students to read.
Patterns
- inspire someone to do something
- inspire someone with something
- inspire someone
Her speech inspired many young people to volunteer.
The teacher inspired the class to try harder.
Seeing the athletes train inspired him with new energy.
verbtransitive
To cause a particular feeling or reaction in someone.
Grammar: Takes a feeling as the object: inspire confidence, inspire fear.
Patterns
- inspire confidence in someone
- inspire something in someone
The coach's calm manner inspires confidence in the team.
The old house inspired a feeling of dread.
verbtransitive
To give someone the idea or the spark that leads to creating something.
Grammar: The subject is the source of the idea and the object is the thing created or the creator.
Patterns
- inspire something
- be inspired by something
A walk through the forest inspired the song.
The painting was inspired by a childhood memory.
verbtransitive or intransitivemedicaltechnical
To breathe in air.
Grammar: Medical use; the object is usually omitted: the patient inspires slowly.
The patient was asked to inspire deeply and hold the breath.
When we inspire, the lungs expand.
Word forms
| third person singular | inspires |
|---|---|
| past tense | inspired |
| past participle | inspired |
| -ing form | inspiring |
Common combinations
- inspire confidence
- A clear plan inspires confidence in investors.
- inspire someone to act
- The photos inspired readers to act on climate change.
- inspire a generation
- The author inspired a generation of scientists.
- inspire loyalty
- A good leader inspires loyalty.
- be inspired by
- The design was inspired by seashells.
- inspire awe
- The mountain range inspires awe in every visitor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- motivate
- Motivate focuses on giving someone a reason to act, often at work or study, while inspire suggests lifting their spirit or imagination.
- encourage
- Encourage is gentler and means offering support or confidence, whereas inspire suggests a stronger spark.
- stir
- Stir is more literary and fits emotions being aroused, while inspire fits both feelings and action.
- influence
- Influence is neutral and can be negative, whereas inspire is almost always positive.
Opposites
Word family
- inspiration noun
- a person or idea that moves someone to act
- inspired adjective
- showing great creativity or skill
- inspiring adjective
- causing admiration or the wish to act
- inspirational adjective
- giving inspiration
- uninspired adjective
- dull and without new ideas
Commonly confused: inspire or inspiration/aspiration? inspire or expire?
inspire vs inspiration/aspiration
Inspiration is the spark that moves you to act, while aspiration is a strong hope or goal you want to reach.
inspire vs expire
Expire means to end or run out, and its breathing sense is breathing out. Inspire in the medical sense is breathing in.
Practice
The documentary ___ many viewers to start recycling.
Choose one answer.
Inspired someone to start fits the pattern of causing action. Inspected sounds similar but means examined, and the others do not take this structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inspire”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.