verb
inspire
ihn-SPEYE-uh
verb
1
To fill someone with the motivation or creative energy to do something.
"Her courage inspired the whole team to keep going."
"The old cathedral inspired the architect's new design."
2
(formal, physiology) To breathe in.
"Patients were asked to inspire deeply before the scan."
How to Use Inspire
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo fill someone with motivation or a creative idea, or literally to breathe air in.
Common pairings
inspire confidence
inspire someone to
inspired by
Word Forms
inspired past tense, inspires singular
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Her courage _____ the whole team to keep going.
Etymology
From Old French inspirer, from Latin inspirare ("to breathe into"), from in- + spirare ("to breathe") — a loan-translation of a Biblical Greek phrase meaning "to breathe [life] into."