Spur
verb/nounBase spur · Past spurred · Past Participle spurred · Present Participle spurring · 3rd person spurs
Definition
1. (verb) To encourage or push someone to do something, or to make something happen faster or sooner.
2. (noun) Something that motivates or encourages a person to take action.
3. (noun) A sharp metal piece attached to a rider's boot, used to make a horse go faster.
2. (noun) Something that motivates or encourages a person to take action.
3. (noun) A sharp metal piece attached to a rider's boot, used to make a horse go faster.
Context Alive
You have been putting off applying for a new job for months. Then one morning your colleague tells you she just got an offer from a much better company with double the salary. That news spurs you into action. You spend the whole evening updating your CV and writing cover letters. Sometimes all you need is a little push from the outside to finally move.
Meanings
3 meanings 1 To Push Someone into Action (Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about something that motivates or pushes you to finally act. Imagine sitting on a business idea for months, doing nothing about it — then you hear that someone else is building the exact same thing, and that spurs you to start working on it immediately. This is describing an outside force or event that triggers action. You might say "the bad reviews spurred the company to improve their product", or someone could say "his coach's words spurred him to train harder than ever". Or picture a student who has been lazy all semester — a terrible mark on the midterm spurs her to finally open her books and study seriously. The word suggests a sudden push that breaks through hesitation or laziness.
✏️ Spur almost always implies the action is positive or at least productive — it pushes you toward doing something, not away from it. The most common pattern is "spur someone into action" or "spur someone to do something." The image behind the word comes from horse riding — a rider uses spurs to make the horse move faster. That physical kick is exactly how the word feels when used about motivation.
2 Something That Motivates You (Noun) Common ▼
This meaning is about the thing itself that pushes you — the trigger, the reason you move. Imagine a young athlete who grows up poor and uses that experience as a spur to work harder than everyone around her. This is describing a motivating force, not the act of motivating. You might read "competition is often the greatest spur to innovation", or someone could say "the accident was the spur he needed to change his lifestyle". Or think about a company that is losing customers — the financial pressure acts as a spur for the management to rethink their entire strategy. The word suggests something that creates urgency and drives change.
✏️ As a noun, spur often appears with "a spur to" or "a spur for" — "a spur to growth," "a spur for change." It is a little more formal than "motivation" or "push" but still perfectly natural in everyday articles and conversations. You will see it a lot in business and sports writing.
3 A Sharp Metal Piece on a Rider's Boot (Noun) Low ▼
This meaning is the original, physical one — a pointed metal device attached to the heel of a horse rider's boot, used to tap the horse and make it go faster. Imagine watching a cowboy film and seeing the rider dig his spurs into the horse's sides to gallop away from danger. This is the literal tool that gave the word all its other meanings. You might see "the rider wore silver spurs on his boots" in a western novel, or someone could mention "he earned his spurs in the cavalry" when talking about military history. Or picture a museum display of old riding equipment where a pair of shiny spurs sits next to a worn leather saddle. The word connects directly to the idea of pushing forward — which is why it became a metaphor for motivation.
✏️ You will rarely need this meaning in modern conversation unless you are talking about horse riding or history. But knowing it helps you understand why spur means "to push into action" — the rider literally kicks the horse to make it go. The phrase "earn your spurs" comes from this meaning and it means to prove yourself through experience.
Common Patterns
Verb Patterns
spur + someone + into action → the most common pattern — to push someone to finally act
The crisis spurred the government into action.
spur + someone + to do something → to motivate someone toward a specific action
Her teacher's encouragement spurred her to apply for university.
spur + noun (growth, demand, innovation) → to cause something to increase or develop
Lower prices spurred demand for electric cars.
Noun Patterns
a spur to + noun → something that drives a particular outcome
Competition is a powerful spur to innovation.
on the spur of the moment → doing something suddenly without planning — a very common fixed phrase
We decided to go to Paris on the spur of the moment.
act as a spur → to serve as a motivating force
The defeat acted as a spur for the team to train harder.
Collocations
10 collocationsspur growth
to cause economic or business growth to speed up
spur innovation
to push people or companies to create new ideas
spur demand
to cause more people to want or buy something
spur investment
to encourage people to put money into something
spur someone into action
to finally push a person to do something
spur debate
to cause public discussion about an issue
spur change
to push a situation toward becoming different
spur interest
to cause people to become curious or engaged
on the spur of the moment
suddenly, without any planning
a spur to development
something that helps growth or progress
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
The bad news spurred her into action and she started looking for a new job that same day.
The bad news pushed her to act immediately, and she began job-hunting right away.
2
Government tax breaks have spurred investment in renewable energy projects.
Tax reductions from the government have encouraged more money to flow into clean energy.
3
His father's illness was the spur he needed to finally get serious about his health.
Seeing his father get sick was the push he needed to start taking care of himself.
4
Competition between the two companies has spurred rapid innovation in the industry.
Rivalry between the two firms has driven fast progress and new ideas in the sector.
5
We booked the flights on the spur of the moment without even checking hotel prices.
We bought the tickets suddenly without any planning and didn't even look at accommodation costs.
6
The documentary spurred a national debate about plastic pollution in the oceans.
The film triggered a nationwide discussion about plastic waste in the sea.
7
Low interest rates have spurred demand for housing across the country.
Cheap borrowing costs have driven up the number of people wanting to buy homes.
8
The coach's halftime talk spurred the team to score three goals in the second half.
The manager's speech at the break motivated the players to net three times after the restart.
9
Poverty can act as a spur for some people, driving them to work harder than anyone else.
Growing up poor motivates some individuals to put in more effort than everyone around them.
10
The public outcry spurred the council to finally fix the dangerous road crossing.
Angry complaints from residents pushed the local authority to repair the unsafe pedestrian crossing.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
3 items Phrasal Verbsspur on — to encourage someone to keep going or try harder
The crowd's cheers spurred the runner on in the final stretch of the race.
Idioms & Expressionson the spur of the moment — suddenly and without any planning, based on a quick impulse
She quit her job on the spur of the moment after a terrible meeting with her boss.
earn your spurs — to prove yourself through experience and hard work
He earned his spurs as a journalist by covering war zones for five years.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsmotivate
more general and everyday — works for any kind of encouragement
drive
similar intensity but often used for internal motivation
prompt
slightly softer — suggests triggering rather than pushing hard
Antonymsdiscourage
to make someone less willing to do something
deter
to prevent action by creating fear or doubt
hinder
to slow down or block progress