spur

CEFRB2

/spɜː/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Something that encourages a person to act.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A jab given with the spurs.

Examples

  • He says things on the spur of the moment.

  • More money for education will spur economic growth.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /speː/
  • /spʌr/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Anything that inspires or motivates, as a spur does a horse.

  2. A rigid implement, often roughly y-shaped, that is fixed to one's heel for the purpose of prodding a horse. Often worn by, and emblematic of, the cowboy or the knight.

  3. An appendage or spike pointing rearward, near the foot, for instance that of a rooster.

More examples

In context

  • to spur boots

  • Lives he, good uncle? thrice within this hour I saw him down; thrice up again, and fighting; From helmet to the spur all blood he was.

  • But a narrow spur of rocks arched out and over the hole, ending in an outcrop perhaps a hundred feet across.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The coach's words blank the team to play harder and win the game.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English spure, spore, from Old English spora, spura, from Proto-West Germanic *spurō, from Proto-Germanic *spurô, from Proto-Indo-European *sperH- (“to kick”).