urge Definition
urge (ʉrj)
transitive verb urged, urg′·ing
- to press upon the attention; present or speak of earnestly and repeatedly; plead, allege, or advocate strongly to urge caution
- to entreat or plead with; ask, persuade, or solicit earnestly; press; exhort
- to stimulate or incite; provoke
- to drive or force onward; press forward; impel
- to ply (oars, etc.) vigorously
Etymology: L urgere, to press hard: see wreak
intransitive verb
- to make an earnest presentation of arguments, claims, charges, entreaties, etc.
- to exert a force that drives or impels, as to action
noun
- the act of urging
- an impulse to do a certain thing; impelling influence or force, esp. an inner drive
urge Related Forms
urge Synonyms
urge
v.
To present favorably
favor, further, support, speak for, propose, plead for, advance, rationalize, aid, recommend, endorse, ratify, confirm, promote, sanction, approve, commend, countenance. Antonyms
discourage, prohibit, impede. To induce
charge, beg, plead, adjure, influence, beseech, implore, ask, command, entreat, desire, request, press, importune, inveigle, talk into, incite, move, allure, tempt, attract, influence, prompt, instigate, exhort, advise, solicit, inspire, stimulate, conjure, coax, wheedle, maneuver, draw, put up to, prevail upon. Antonyms
restrain*, deter*, discourage. * To drive
compel, drive, propel, impel, force, coerce, constrain, press, push, make, oblige, goad, prod, spur.
urge implies a strong effort to persuade someone to do something, as by entreaty, argument, or forceful recommendation he urged us to leave; exhort implies an earnest urging or admonishing to action or conduct considered proper or right the minister exhorted his flock to work for peace; press suggests a continuous, insistent urging that is difficult to resist we pressed her to stay; importune implies persistent efforts to break down resistance against a demand or request, often to the point of being annoying or wearisome too proud to importune for help
urge Usage Examples
Object
- caution: What I am urging caution on is any research which implies there is a single, simple answer.
- government: In Britain, CND has urged the British government to seek to dissuade the United States from military action.
- everyone: High oil prices are urging everyone my track record.
- anyone: James urges anyone who is in good spirits to sing songs of praise.
- resident: POLICE are urging residents to lock up their homes during warm weather following a rise in the number of burglaries.
- motorist: Local police are urging motorists to have a safe Christmas this year by being careful on the roads and by not drinking and driving.
Converse of object
- resist: In all seriousness, resist the urge to do this.
- suppress: But my concern for the value of its contents helped me suppress the urge.
- feel: You may feel the urge to make travel plans, to attend a cross-cultural event, or simply to move around more.
- satisfy: This acknowledgment would satisfy the urge for pluralism, but without postmodernism.
- fight: Daily I fight the urge to sever it completely, to stop this descent.. .
Adjective modifier
- irresistible: Something that won't put your nose in a cast every time you get the irresistible urge to blow at your wife?
- primal: I had a deep, almost primal urge to corpse Kevin Richmond.
- overwhelming: This gives you the overwhelming urge to grab him by the shoulders and give him a good shaking.
- sudden: Half an hour after arriving back from the hospital I felt the sudden urge to go to the toilet.
Modifies a noun
incontinence: Stress incontinence occurs two or three times more often than urge incontinence.
Modifying Another Word
strongly: I would strongly urge you to take the time to write to your local MP.
Infinitive complement
- repent: Next Tuesday visitors to Freeport's Shopping Outlet will be urged to repent their ' sins ' and become road safety ' saints ' .
- attend: They are urged to attend at least two graduate lecture courses per year.
- consult: For this reason any student who experiences problems is strongly urged to consult the course convener at the earliest opportunity.
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