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Webster 1913 Edition

Encourage

En-cour′age

(?; 48)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Encouraged
(?; 48)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Encouraging
.]
[F.
encourager
; pref.
en-
(L.
in
) +
courage
courage. See
Courage
.]
To give courage to; to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope; to raise, or to increase, the confidence of; to animate; enhearten; to incite; to help forward; – the opposite of
discourage
.
Syn. – To embolden; inspirit; animate; enhearten; hearten; incite; cheer; urge; impel; stimulate; instigate; countenance; comfort; promote; advance; forward; strengthen.

Webster 1828 Edition

Encourage

ENCOUR'AGE

,
Verb.
T.
enkur'rage. To give courage to; to give or increase confidence of success; to inspire with courage, spirit, or strength of mind; to embolden; to animate; to incite; to inspirit.
But charge Joshua, and encourage him. Deut. 3.

Definition 2024

encourage

encourage

See also: encouragé

English

Verb

encourage ‎(third-person singular simple present encourages, present participle encouraging, simple past and past participle encouraged) (transitive)

  1. To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
    I encouraged him during his race.
  2. To spur on, strongly recommend.
    We encourage the use of bicycles in the town centre.
  3. To foster, give help or patronage
    The royal family has always encouraged the arts in word and deed

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

French

Verb

encourage

  1. first-person singular present indicative of encourager
  2. third-person singular present indicative of encourager
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of encourager
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of encourager
  5. singular imperative of encourager

Etymology

From Middle English encoragen, from Anglo-Norman encoragier, from Old French encoragier from en- +‎ corage "courage". Displaced native Middle English belden, bielden ‎(“to encourage”) (from Old English bieldan ‎(“to encourage”)), Middle English bealden, balden ‎(“to encourage”) (from Old English bealdian ‎(“to encourage, make bold”)), Middle English herten ‎(“to encourage, enhearten”) (from Old English hiertan, hyrtan ‎(“to enhearten”)), Old English elnian ‎(“to encourage, strengthen”).

Pronunciation

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