inspire

The word “inspire” means to fill someone with the motivation or creative energy to do something. In plain terms, to fill someone with motivation or a creative idea, or literally to breathe air in.

“Inspire” is pronounced ihn-SPEYE-uh (/ɪnˈspaɪɹ/ in IPA).

Here is “inspire” used in a sentence: “Her courage inspired the whole team to keep going.”

Words with a similar meaning to “inspire” include beghast.

The opposite of “inspire” — its antonyms — is expire.

“Inspire” is a verb.

The word “inspire” comes from Latin. 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.".

“Inspire” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

To inspire is to fill someone with the inner drive or creative energy to do something, often through example, art, or ideas. To motivate is to give someone a reason or incentive to act, which can be as practical as a deadline or a reward. Inspiration tends to spark enthusiasm from within, while motivation can be supplied externally.

Inspire is something you do to someone else: you fill them with motivation or creative energy. Aspire is something you do yourself: you aim or hope to achieve something, as in "she aspires to be a surgeon." A mentor inspires you; you aspire to a goal.

Yes. In formal physiological use, to inspire means to breathe in, and its opposite in that context is expire, meaning to breathe out. This technical sense appears mainly in medical and scientific writing, while everyday usage almost always refers to filling someone with motivation.

The standard collocation is "inspired by," as in "a film inspired by true events." "Inspired from" is a common learner error and sounds unnatural to most native speakers. Use "by" to name the source of the inspiration.