Standard Lemma guide

stimulate

verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈstɪm.jʊ.leɪt/
  • US: /ˈstɪm.jəˌleɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S T IH1 M Y AH0 L EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To encourage into action.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • stimulate the economy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: encourage, induce, incite, provoke, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, bring about, cheer, draw, drive, egg on, engender, evoke, excite, foment, goad, grill, ignite, impel, inflame, instigate, invoke, lash, motive, motivate, move, obligate, oblige, push, promote, prompt, rouse, set off, spark off, spur, spur on, stimulate, stir, stir up, stoke, tempt, urge, whet, whip up

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To arouse an organism to functional activity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • stimulate my mind
  • He was sexually stimulated by the dancer's moves.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: animate, arouse, energize, energise, excite, perk up, awaken, beghast, leaven, bright, brighten, cheer, enliven, enthuse, exalt, fire up, ginger, ginger up, inflame, invigorate, inspire, inspirit, jazz, kindle, liven, liven up, quicken, spice, spice up, stimulate, vitalise, de-energize, sedate, stifle

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

cause to be alert and energetic

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Coffee and tea stimulate me
  • This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arouse, brace, energize, energise, perk up

Antonyms: sedate

Broader terms: affect

Narrower terms: cathect, animate, recreate, reanimate, revive, renovate, repair, quicken, vivify, revivify, invigorate, reinvigorate, enliven, liven, liven up

4

verb

Meaning 4

act as a stimulant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The book stimulated her imagination
  • This play stimulates

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excite

Antonyms: stifle

Broader terms: affect, impact, bear upon, bear on, touch on, touch

Narrower terms: quicken, invigorate, innervate, irritate

5

verb

Meaning 5

cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The ads induced me to buy a VCR
  • My children finally got me to buy a computer
  • My wife made me buy a new sofa

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: induce, cause, have, get, make

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: decide, persuade, bring, solicit, encourage, let, lead, prompt, inspire, instigate, suborn, compel, oblige, obligate

6

verb

Meaning 6

provide the needed stimulus for

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: provoke

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: challenge

Narrower terms: entice, lure, tempt, rejuvenate, jog, incite, instigate, set off, stir up, agitate, foment

7

verb

Meaning 7

cause to occur rapidly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the infection precipitated a high fever and allergic reactions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: induce, rush, hasten

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: effect, effectuate, set up

8

verb

Meaning 8

stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • These stories shook the community
  • the civil war shook the country

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shake, shake up, excite, stir

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: arouse, elicit, enkindle, kindle, evoke, fire, raise, provoke

Narrower terms: fuel, arouse, sex, excite, turn on, wind up, frighten, fright, scare, affright, thrill, tickle, vibrate, tempt, invite, elate, lift up, uplift, pick up, intoxicate, inspire, animate, invigorate, enliven, exalt, titillate

9

verb

Meaning 9

stir feelings in

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • stimulate my appetite
  • excite the audience
  • stir emotions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: excite, stir

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sensitize, sensitise

Narrower terms: masturbate, wank, fuck off, she-bop, jack off, jerk off, horripilate, work, fellate, suck, blow, go down on, thrill, whet, quicken, disgust, gross out, revolt, repel

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)tey-? Latin stimulus Latin stimulo Latin stimulatusbor. English stimulate Borrowed from Latin stimulātus, perfect passive participle of stimulō (“to urge, goad on”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin stimulus (“a sting or prick; a stimulus, goad”).

Across languages

Translations

75 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: գրգռել (grgṙel) — to encourage into action
  • Belarusian: стымулява́ць (stymuljavácʹ) — to encourage into action
  • Bulgarian: подбу́ждам (podbúždam) — to encourage into action
  • Catalan: estimular — to encourage into action
  • Chinese Mandarin: 刺激 (cìjī) — to encourage into action
  • Czech: podnítit — to encourage into action
  • Dutch: stimuleren — to encourage into action
  • Dutch: aansporen — to encourage into action
  • Dutch: prikkelen — to encourage into action
  • Esperanto: stimuli — to encourage into action
  • Finnish: piristää — to encourage into action
  • Finnish: yllyttää — to encourage into action
  • Finnish: ärsyttää — to encourage into action
  • Finnish: elvyttää — to encourage into action
  • Finnish: stimuloida — to encourage into action
  • French: stimuler — to encourage into action
  • Galician: estimular — to encourage into action
  • German: stimulieren — to encourage into action
  • Greek: παρακινώ (parakinó) — to encourage into action
  • Greek: παροτρύνω (parotrýno) — to encourage into action
  • Ancient Greek: ἐρεθίζω (erethízō) — to encourage into action
  • Hungarian: elősegít — to encourage into action
  • Italian: stimolare — to encourage into action
  • Japanese: 刺激する (shigeki suru) — to encourage into action
  • Northern Kurdish: hander kirin — to encourage into action
  • Latin: commoveō — to encourage into action
  • Maltese: ħeġġeġ — to encourage into action
  • Māori: whakahohe — to encourage into action
  • Māori: whakaihiihi — to encourage into action
  • Māori: whakahihiko — to encourage into action
  • Māori: whakamanawa — to encourage into action
  • Norman: stînmuler — to encourage into action
  • Occitan: estimular — to encourage into action
  • Persian: انگیختن — to encourage into action
  • Persian: برانگیختن — to encourage into action
  • Persian: تَحرِیک کردن — to encourage into action
  • Persian: تَشوِیق کردن — to encourage into action
  • Polish: stymulować — to encourage into action
  • Portuguese: estimular — to encourage into action
  • Portuguese: incentivar — to encourage into action
  • Romanian: stimula — to encourage into action
  • Russian: стимули́ровать (stimulírovatʹ) — to encourage into action
  • Spanish: estimular — to encourage into action
  • Swedish: egga — to encourage into action
  • Swedish: reta — to encourage into action
  • Swedish: sporra — to encourage into action
  • Ukrainian: стимулюва́ти (stymuljuváty) — to encourage into action
  • Albanian: stimuloj — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Armenian: գրգռել (grgṙel) — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Bulgarian: стимулирам (stimuliram) — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Catalan: estimular — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Chinese Mandarin: 刺激 (cìjī) — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Dutch: stimuleren — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Dutch: prikkelen — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Esperanto: stimuli — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Finnish: kiihottaa — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Finnish: elvyttää — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Finnish: stimuloida — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • French: stimuler — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • German: stimulieren — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Greek: διεγείρω (diegeíro) — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Italian: stimolare — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Japanese: 刺激する (shigeki suru) — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Norman: stînmuler — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Persian: تحریکیدن — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Portuguese: estimular — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Romanian: stimula — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Russian: стимули́ровать (stimulírovatʹ) — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Spanish: estimular — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Swedish: ge näring åt — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Swedish: pigga upp — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Swedish: stimulera — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Swedish: väcka — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Ukrainian: збу́джувати (zbúdžuvaty) — to arouse an organism to functional activity
  • Ukrainian: збуди́ти (zbudýty) — to arouse an organism to functional activity