inspire

See also: inspiré and inspirē

English

Etymology

From Middle English inspiren, enspiren, from Old French inspirer, variant of espirer, from Latin īnspīrāre (“inspire”), itself a loan-translation of Biblical Ancient Greek πνέω (pnéō, “breathe”), from in + spīrō (“breathe”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow, breathe”). Displaced native Old English onbryrdan (literally “to prick in”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈspaɪɹ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

inspire (third-person singular simple present inspires, present participle inspiring, simple past and past participle inspired)

1. (transitive) To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by inspiration.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Wisdom 15:11:

     He knew not his Maker, and him that inspired into him an active soul.

   • c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Dawning day new comfort hath inspired.

   • 2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 2, page 172:

     Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.

2. (transitive) To infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence; to fill with what animates, enlivens or exalts; to communicate inspiration to.

   Elders should inspire children with sentiments of virtue.

   The captain's speech was aimed to inspire her team to victory in the final.

   • 1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     Erato, thy poet's mind inspire, / And fill his soul with thy celestial fire.

3. (intransitive) To draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale.
   • 1672, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus, Or, The Anatomy of Consumptions:

     By means of those sulfurous coal smokes the lungs are as it were stifled and extremely oppressed, whereby they are forced to inspire and expire the air with difficulty.

4. To infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing.
5. (archaic, transitive) To breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate.
   • 1687 (date written), Alexander Pope, “Ode for Musick on St. Cecilia’s Day”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC, canto I, page 371:

     Deſcend ye nine! deſcend and ſing; / The breathing inſtruments inſpire, / VVake into voice each ſilent ſtring, / And ſvveep the ſounding lyre!

6. (transitive) To spread rumour indirectly.

Synonyms

• beghast

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “inhale”): expire

Derived terms

• awe-inspiring
• bio-inspired
• inspirable
• inspirer
• philatelically inspired
• reinspire

 

Related terms

• awe-inspire
• inspiration
• inspirational
• inspirator
• inspiratory

Translations

to infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit

• Bulgarian: внушавам (bg) (vnušavam)
• Catalan: inspirar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 授意 (zh) (shòuyì), 鼓舞 (zh) (gǔwǔ)

• Czech: inspirovat
• Danish: inspirere
• Dutch: inspireren (nl)
• Esperanto: inspiri
• Finnish: elähdyttää, innoittaa, inspiroida (fi)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Galician: inspirar (gl)
• Georgian: შთააგონებს (štaagonebs)
• German: inspirieren (de)
• Greek: εμπνέω (el) (empnéo)
• Hebrew: השרה (hishrá)
• Hungarian: sugalmaz (hu), megihlet (hu), ihletet ad, kelt (hu), ébreszt (hu), inspirál (hu)
• Icelandic: hvetja
• Italian: ispirare (it)
• Ladino: inspirar, meter en korasón
• Latvian: inspirēt, iedvest, iedvesmot
• Old English: onbryrdan
• Polish: inspirować (pl) impf, zainspirować pf
• Portuguese: inspirar (pt)
• Romanian: inspira (ro)
• Russian: внуша́ть (ru) (vnušátʹ), внуши́ть (ru) (vnušítʹ), вдохновля́ть (ru) (vdoxnovljátʹ), вдохнови́ть (ru) (vdoxnovítʹ)
• Swedish: inspirera (sv)
• Turkish: esinlemek (tr), ilham vermek
• Ukrainian: вселя́ти impf (vseljáty), всели́ти pf (vselýty), наві́ювати impf (navíjuvaty), наві́яти pf (navíjaty), надиха́ти impf (nadyxáty), надихну́ти pf (nadyxnúty)
• Welsh: ysbrydoli (cy)
• Zazaki: pısk gıroten

to infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence

• Armenian: ոգեշնչել (hy) (ogešnčʻel)
• Bulgarian: вдъхновявам (bg) (vdǎhnovjavam)
• Catalan: inspirar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 影响 (zh) (yǐngxiǎng)

• Danish: inspirere
• Esperanto: inspiri
• Finnish: innostaa (fi), inspiroida (fi)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Galician: inspirar (gl)
• German: inspirieren (de)
• Hebrew: השרה (hishrá)
• Hungarian: ösztönöz (hu), lelkesít (hu), inspirál (hu)
• Latin: afflō, iniciō, īnspīrō
• Latvian: inspirēt, iedvest, iedvesmot
• Maori: whakamanawa, toitoi manawa, whakaohooho, whakakipakipa, whakahihiko
• Old English: onbryrdan
• Romanian: inspira (ro)
• Russian: вдохновля́ть (ru) impf (vdoxnovljátʹ), вдохнови́ть (ru) pf (vdoxnovítʹ), воодушевля́ть (ru) impf (vooduševljátʹ), воодушеви́ть (ru) pf (vooduševítʹ)
• Spanish: inspirar (es), infundir (es)
• Swedish: inspirera (sv)
• Ukrainian: надиха́ти impf (nadyxáty), надихну́ти pf (nadyxnúty)
• Welsh: ysbrydoli (cy)
• Zazaki: pısk siyen

to inhale — see inhale

to infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing

• Bulgarian: вдишвам (bg) (vdišvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吸入 (zh) (xīrù)

• Dutch: beademen (nl)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• German: beatmen (de), einhauchen (de)
• Greek: πνέω (el) (pnéo)
• Hungarian: eltölt (hu), elönt (hu), tölt (hu), önt (hu), áthat (hu), átjár (hu)
• Italian: ispirare (it)
• Latin: afflō
• Russian: вдыха́ть (ru) impf (vdyxátʹ), вдохну́ть (ru) impf (vdoxnútʹ)
• Ukrainian: вдиха́ти (uk) impf (vdyxáty), вдихну́ти pf (vdyxnúty)

archaic: to breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吹入, 吹奏 (zh) (chuīzòu)

• Dutch: beademen (nl)
• Italian: ispirare (it)
• Latin: īnspīrō

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} أَلْهَمَ (ʔalhama)
• German: ^{(please verify)} einflößen (de), ^{(please verify)} begeistern (de)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} inspirar
• Irish: ^{(please verify)} spreag
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 動かす (ja) (うごかす, ugokasu)
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 授意 (zh) (shòu yì)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} inspirar (es)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• spinier

Asturian

Verb

inspire

1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of inspirar

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

inspire

1. inflection of inspirer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Portuguese

Verb

inspire

1. inflection of inspirar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [inˈspire]

Verb

inspire

1. third-person singular/plural present subjunctive of inspira

Spanish

Verb

inspire

1. inflection of inspirar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative