Meaning & use
spur
Last updated
Meanings
nounusually singularfigurative
Something that pushes a person or group to act faster or try harder, especially a motive or event that sets action in motion.
Grammar: Usually follows an or the and takes to: a spur to growth.
Patterns
- a spur to something
- a spur for something
- be a spur to do something
The rival bakery opening across the street was the spur she needed to modernize her shop.
Praise from his coach acted as a spur, and he trained harder than ever.
Low interest rates may be a spur to investment this year.
nouncountable
A small pointed or spiked metal piece fixed to the back of a rider's boot and pressed against a horse's side to make it go faster.
Grammar: Usually used in the plural because riders wear a pair: a pair of spurs.
Patterns
- a pair of spurs
- wear spurs
The cowboy's spurs jingled as he walked across the porch.
She touched her spurs lightly to the horse's flanks and it broke into a trot.
Antique spurs with silver decoration were displayed in the museum case.
nouncountabletechnical
A ridge, track or branch that sticks out from a larger mountain, road or railway line.
Grammar: Often followed by of or from to say what it branches off: a spur of the main line.
Patterns
- a spur of something
- a spur off something
A short rail spur connects the factory to the main line.
We camped on a rocky spur that overlooked the valley.
The hiking trail follows a spur off the main ridge before descending.
verbtransitive
To encourage or push someone or something to act, develop or happen more quickly.
Grammar: Takes an object and often a particle: the news spurred him into action; spur on the team.
Patterns
- spur someone to something
- spur someone on
- spur something on
- spur someone into something
The shocking report spurred the council to act at once.
Cheers from the crowd spurred the runners on in the final lap.
Falling prices spurred demand for new cars.
Word forms
| third person singular | spurs |
|---|---|
| past tense | spurred |
| past participle | spurred |
| -ing form | spurring |
| plural | spurs |
Common combinations
- spur growth
- The government hopes tax cuts will spur growth in small businesses.
- spur someone into action
- The flood warning spurred residents into action.
- spur on
- His friends spurred him on when he felt like quitting.
- a spur to innovation
- Competition can be a powerful spur to innovation.
- on the spur of the moment
- We booked the trip on the spur of the moment, without any planning.
- win your spurs
- The young lawyer won her spurs by handling the difficult case alone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stimulus
- Stimulus is a more formal and neutral word for anything that triggers a reaction, while spur stresses a push toward action.
- incentive
- Incentive suggests a reward or benefit that is offered to make people act, whereas a spur can be any event or feeling.
- prod
- As a verb, prod suggests a rather rough, repeated nudge, while spur sounds more positive and energizing.
- motivate
- Motivate describes giving someone a reason to act, but spur adds the idea of a sudden, quickening push.
Opposites
Word family
- spurred adjective
- wearing spurs, or urged on
- spurring noun
- the act of urging something on
- spur-of-the-moment adjective
- done suddenly without planning
- spurless adjective
- having no spurs
Commonly confused: spur or spore?
spur vs spore
A spore is a tiny reproductive cell of a fungus or plant; it sounds different from spur and has nothing to do with urging.
Practice
The success of the first trial was a real ___ to the research team, and they quickly started the second phase.
Choose one answer.
A spur to someone is something that pushes them to act, which fits quickly starting the next phase. A brake or doubt would slow them down, and a burden does not suggest encouragement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spur”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.