inspire

See also: inspiré and inspirē

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Verb

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, 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 and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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 and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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

• Bulgarian: внушавам (bg) (vnušavam)
• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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) (ogešnčʻel)
• Bulgarian: вдъхновявам (bg) (vdǎhnovjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 影响 (zh) (yǐngxiǎng)

• Finnish: innostaa (fi), inspiroida (fi)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Galician: inspirar (gl)
• Hungarian: ösztönöz (hu), lelkesít (hu), inspirál (hu)
• Latin: afflō, iniciō, īnspīrō
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

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

  Mandarin: 吸入 (zh) (xīrù)

• Dutch: beademen (nl)
• French: inspirer (fr)
• Greek: πνέω (el) (pnéo)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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) (chuīzòu)

• Dutch: beademen (nl)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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)} 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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

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Asturian

Verb

(deprecated template usage) inspire

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

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French

Verb

inspire

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

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Portuguese

Verb

inspire

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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.