urge Hear it!

urge definition

urge (ʉrj)

transitive verb urged, urging urg′·ing

    1. to press upon the attention; present or speak of earnestly and repeatedly; plead, allege, or advocate strongly to urge caution
    2. to entreat or plead with; ask, persuade, or solicit earnestly; press; exhort
  1. to stimulate or incite; provoke
  2. to drive or force onward; press forward; impel
  3. to ply (oars, etc.) vigorously

Etymology: L urgere, to press hard: see wreak

intransitive verb

  1. to make an earnest presentation of arguments, claims, charges, entreaties, etc.
  2. to exert a force that drives or impels, as to action

noun

  1. the act of urging
  2. an impulse to do a certain thing; impelling influence or force, esp. an inner drive

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

urge Synonyms

urge

v.

  1. 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.

  2. 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. *

  3. To drive

    compel, drive, propel, impel, force, coerce, constrain, press, push, make, oblige, goad, prod, spur.

    Antonyms deny*, block*, withhold.

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


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

urge Usage Examples

Object

  • anyone: James urges anyone who is in good spirits to sing songs of praise.

Converse of object

  • resist: In all seriousness, resist the urge to do this.

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?

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.
urge usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

urge quotes

The absence of the urge to create is decadence.

-Mamet, David Alan

The more rhymethere isin poetry the more dangerof its tricking the writer into something other than the urge in the beginning.

-Sandburg, Carl

I was seized by the stern hand of Compulsion, that dark, unseasonable Urgethat impelswomento cleanhouse in the middle of the night.

-Thurber,James Grover

urge quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"urge." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/urge>

APA Style

urge. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/urge

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment