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⇱ spur - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

spur

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈspɜːr/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/spɝ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(spûr)

Inflections of 'spur' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
spurs
v 3rd person singular
spurring
v pres p
spurred
v past
spurred
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
spur1 /spɜr/USA pronunciation   n., v., spurred, spur•ring. 
n. [countable]
  1. a-shaped device attached to the heel of a boot, having a pointed part that sticks out, used by a rider to urge a horse forward.
  2. something that forces one to action.
  3. Rail Transporta short track, road, or passage leading away from a main one, such as a siding for a train.

v. 
  1. to prick with or as if with a spur to urge (a horse) to keep moving or to go faster:[~ + object (+ on)]The sheriff spurred his horse (on) and rode quickly after the bandit.
  2. to incite (one) to take action: [~ + object (+ on) + to + verb]The insult spurred him (on) to retaliate.[~ + object + on]Your encouragement spurred him on and he later achieved even greater results.
Idioms
  1. Idioms on the spur of the moment, [uncountable] suddenly;
    impulsively;
    without planning:On the spur of the moment he jumped up and delivered a fiery speech.
  2. Idioms win one's spurs, to achieve distinction or success for the first time.

spurred, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
spur1 (spûr),USA pronunciation 
n. 
  1. a-shaped device that slips over and straps to the heel of a boot and has a blunt, pointed, or roweled projection at the back for use by a mounted rider to urge a horse forward.
  2. anything that goads, impels, or urges, as to action, speed, or achievement.
  3. See climbing iron. 
  4. Birds[Ornith.]a stiff, usually sharp, horny process on the leg of various birds, esp. the domestic rooster, or on the bend of the wing, as in jacanas and screamers.
  5. Pathologya bony projection or exostosis.
  6. Sporta sharp piercing or cutting instrument fastened to the leg of a gamecock in cockfighting;
    gaff.
  7. Geography[Physical Geog.]a ridge or line of elevation projecting from or subordinate to the main body of a mountain or mountain range.
  8. something that projects and resembles or suggests a gaff;
    sharp projection.
  9. a short or stunted branch or shoot, as of a tree.
  10. Printing[Typography.]a short, seriflike projection from the bottom of the short vertical stroke in the capital G in some fonts.
  11. Civil EngineeringSee wing dam. 
  12. [Bot.]
    • Botanya slender, usually hollow, projection from some part of a flower, as from the calyx of the larkspur or the corolla of the violet.
    • Botanya short shoot bearing flowers, as in fruit trees.
  13. Architecture
    • a short wooden brace, usually temporary, for strengthening a post or some other part.
    • any offset from a wall, as a buttress.c. griffe2.
  14. Ceramicsa triangular support of refractory clay for an object being fired.
  15. Rail TransportSee spur track. 
  16. on the spur of the moment, without deliberation;
    impulsively;
    suddenly:We headed for the beach on the spur of the moment.
  17. win one's spurs, to achieve distinction or success for the first time;
    prove one's ability or worth:Our team hasn't won its spurs yet.

v.t. 
  1. to prick with or as if with a spur or spurs;
    incite or urge on:The rider spurred his mount ruthlessly. Appreciation spurs ambition.
  2. Sportto strike or wound with the spur, as a gamecock.
  3. to furnish with spurs or a spur.

v.i. 
  1. to goad or urge one's horse with spurs or a spur;
    ride quickly.
  2. to proceed hurriedly;
    press forward:We spurred onward through the night.
  • bef. 900; (noun, nominal) Middle English spure, Old English spura; cognate with Old High German sporo, Old Norse spori spur; akin to spurn; (verb, verbal) Middle English spuren, derivative of the noun, nominal
spur′less, adj. 
spur′like′, adj. 
spur′rer, n. 
    1. 2. goad. 2. incitement, stimulus, incentive, inducement, provocation, instigation. 18. goad, provoke, stimulate, impel, inspire, induce, instigate.
    18. discourage.
spur2 (spûr),USA pronunciation n. [Papermaking.]
  1. Printinga batch of newly made rag-paper sheets.
  • origin, originally uncertain 1880–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
spur /spɜː/ n
  1. a pointed device or sharp spiked wheel fixed to the heel of a rider's boot to enable him or her to urge the horse on
  2. anything serving to urge or encourage: the increase in salary was a spur to their production
  3. a sharp horny projection from the leg just above the claws in male birds, such as the domestic cock
  4. a pointed process in any of various animals; calcar
  5. a tubular extension at the base of the corolla in flowers such as larkspur
  6. a short or stunted branch of a tree
  7. a ridge projecting laterally from a mountain or mountain range
  8. a wooden prop or a masonry reinforcing pier
  9. Also called: spur track a railway branch line or siding
  10. a short side road leading off a main road: a motorway spur
  11. a sharp cutting instrument attached to the leg of a gamecock
  12. on the spur of the moment ⇒ on impulse
  13. win one's spurs ⇒
    • to earn knighthood
    • to prove one's ability; gain distinction
 vb (spurs, spurring, spurred)
  1. (transitive) to goad or urge with or as if with spurs
  2. (intransitive) to go or ride quickly; press on
  3. (transitive) to injure or strike with a spur
  4. (transitive) to provide with a spur or spurs
Etymology: Old English spura; related to Old Norse spori, Old High German sporo
'spur' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: likes to do things on the spur of the moment, did it on the spur of the moment, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "spur" in the title:

a cultural spur and a tone-setting event
A gamer that takes to the crop and the spur
A spur that pricked to the quick (Thomas North)
All good. I would choose "the" or not <to> "the" on the spur of the moment.
an ace hidden behind his spur
an outlying spur of the moor
at the drop of a hat OR without a second thought OR on the spur of the moment
encourage/stimulate/grow/develop/spur
fused spur
goad into, spur on, egg on
incentive/spur/push to move on with my life
on impulse / on the spur of the moment / on a whim
on the spur
on the spur of the moment
On the Spur of the Moment
on the spur of the monent or on the spur of a moment?
on/at the spur of the moment
Spontaneously Or on the spur of the moment
spur
spur / spur on
spur me on
spur measures
Spur off [verb?]
spur others ahead on the same age-long pursuit of the unknown
spur thr racer into the last turn
Spur up/on
spur you to take actions that are the same
spur-winner
spur/stimulus/stimulation
that can be done spur of the moment.
more...

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