Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb inspire

6 senses of inspire

Sense 1
inspire, animate, invigorate, enliven, exalt -- (heighten or intensify; "These paintings exalt the imagination")
       => stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir -- (stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of; "These stories shook the community"; "the civil war shook the country")

Sense 2
inspire -- (supply the inspiration for; "The article about the artist inspired the exhibition of his recent work")
       => occasion -- (give occasion to)

Sense 3
prompt, inspire, instigate -- (serve as the inciting cause of; "She prompted me to call my relatives")
       => induce, stimulate, cause, have, get, make -- (cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner; "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")

Sense 4
cheer, root on, inspire, urge, barrack, urge on, exhort, pep up -- (spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts; "The crowd cheered the demonstrating strikers")
       => encourage -- (inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to)

Sense 5
revolutionize, revolutionise, inspire -- (fill with revolutionary ideas)
       => indoctrinate -- (teach doctrines to; teach uncritically; "The Moonies indoctrinate their disciples")

Sense 6
inhale, inspire, breathe in -- (draw in (air); "Inhale deeply"; "inhale the fresh mountain air"; "The patient has trouble inspiring"; "The lung cancer patient cannot inspire air very well")
       => breathe, take a breath, respire, suspire -- (draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs; "I can breathe better when the air is clean"; "The patient is respiring")