inspire

See also: inspiré and inspirē

English

Etymology

From Old French inspirer, variant of espirer, from Latin īnspīrāre, present active infinitive of īnspīrō (“inspire”), itself a loan-translation of the Ancient Greek πνέω (pnéō, “breathe”) in the Bible, from in + spīrō (“breathe”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪn.ˈspaɪɹ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪn.ˈspaɪə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)

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), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Wisdom 15:11:

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

   • c. 1588-1593, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus

     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.

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden?)

     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.
   • c. 1670, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus", Or a Theoretick and Practical Discourse of Consumptions and Hypochondriack Melancholy... Likewise a Discourse of Spitting of Blood

     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.
   • (Can we date this quote by Alexander Pope?)

     Descend, ye Nine, descend and sing, / The breathing instruments inspire.

6. (transitive) To spread rumour indirectly.

Synonyms

• beghast

Antonyms

• (inhale): expire

Derived terms

• inspirer

Related terms

• inspiration
• inspirational
• inspirator
• inspiratory

Translations

to infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit

• Chinese:

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

• Czech: inspirovat
• Dutch: inspireren (nl)
• Finnish: elähdyttää, innoittaa, inspiroida (fi)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Galician: inspirar (gl)
• Georgian: შთააგონებს (štaagonebs)
• Greek: εμπνέω (el) (empnéo)

• Hungarian: sugalmaz (hu), megihlet (hu), ihletet ad, kelt (hu), ébreszt (hu), inspirál (hu)
• Icelandic: hvetja
• Italian: ispirare (it)
• Latvian: inspirēt, iedvest, iedvesmot
• 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
• Welsh: ysbrydoli (cy)

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

• Armenian: ոգեշնչել (hy) (ogešnčʿel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 影响 (zh)

• Finnish: innostaa (fi), inspiroida (fi)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Galician: inspirar (gl)
• Hungarian: ösztönöz (hu), lelkesít (hu), inspirál (hu)
• Latin: afflō, iniciō, īnspīrō

• Latvian: inspirēt, iedvest, iedvesmot
• Maori: whakamanawa, toitoi manawa
• 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)
• Welsh: ysbrydoli (cy)

to inhale — see inhale

to infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吸入 (zh)

• Dutch: beademen (nl)
• French: inspirer (fr)

• 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)

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

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吹入, 吹奏 (zh)

• Dutch: beademen (nl)

• Italian: ispirare (it)
• Latin: īnspīrō

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} أَلْهَمَ‎ (ʾalhama)
• German: ^{(please verify)} einhauchen (de), ^{(please verify)} einflößen (de), ^{(please verify)} begeistern (de)
• Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
• 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)
• Old English: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} inspirar (es)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• spinier

---

Asturian

Verb

inspire

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

---

French

Verb

inspire

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

---

Portuguese

Verb

inspire

1. First-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of inspirar
2. Third-person singular (ele, ela, also used with tu and você^?) present subjunctive of inspirar
3. Third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of inspirar
4. Third-person singular (você) negative imperative of inspirar

---

Spanish

Verb

inspire

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of inspirar.