Library / English Dictionary

STIMULATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to be alert and energetic

Example:

This herbal infusion doesn't stimulate

Synonyms:

arouse; brace; energise; energize; perk up; stimulate

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "stimulate" is one way to...):

affect (act physically on; have an effect upon)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stimulate"):

cathect (inject with libidinal energy)

animate; quicken; reanimate; recreate; renovate; repair; revive; revivify; vivify (give new life or energy to)

invigorate; reinvigorate (impart vigor, strength, or vitality to)

animate; enliven; invigorate; liven; liven up (make lively)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

sedate (cause to be calm or quiet as by administering a sedative to)

Derivation:

stimulant (a drug that temporarily quickens some vital process)

stimulative (capable of arousing or accelerating physiological or psychological activity or response by a chemical agent)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Act as a stimulant

Example:

This play stimulates

Synonyms:

excite; stimulate

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "stimulate" is one way to...):

affect; bear on; bear upon; impact; touch; touch on (have an effect upon)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stimulate"):

invigorate; quicken (give life or energy to)

innervate (stimulate to action)

irritate (excite to some characteristic action or condition, such as motion, contraction, or nervous impulse, by the application of a stimulus)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Antonym:

stifle (suppress or constrain so as to lessen in intensity)

Derivation:

stimulant (any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action)

stimulant (that stimulates)

stimulative (capable of arousing or accelerating physiological or psychological activity or response by a chemical agent)

stimulus (any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner

Example:

My wife made me buy a new sofa

Synonyms:

cause; get; have; induce; make; stimulate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stimulate"):

compel; obligate; oblige (force somebody to do something)

suborn (induce to commit perjury or give false testimony)

inspire; instigate; prompt (serve as the inciting cause of)

lead (cause to undertake a certain action)

let (actively cause something to happen)

encourage (spur on)

solicit (incite, move, or persuade to some act of lawlessness or insubordination)

bring (induce or persuade)

persuade (cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm)

decide (cause to decide)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s somebody INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They stimulate him to write the letter

Derivation:

stimulation (the act of arousing an organism to action)

stimulation; stimulus (any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Provide the needed stimulus for

Synonyms:

provoke; stimulate

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "stimulate" is one way to...):

challenge (issue a challenge to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stimulate"):

agitate; foment; stir up (try to stir up public opinion)

incite; instigate; set off; stir up (provoke or stir up)

jog (stimulate to remember)

rejuvenate (cause (a stream or river) to erode, as by an uplift of the land)

entice; lure; tempt (provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

stimulant (that stimulates)

stimulus (any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Cause to occur rapidly

Example:

the infection precipitated a high fever and allergic reactions

Synonyms:

hasten; induce; rush; stimulate

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "stimulate" is one way to...):

effect; effectuate; set up (produce)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of

Example:

the civil war shook the country

Synonyms:

excite; shake; shake up; stimulate; stir

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "stimulate" is one way to...):

arouse; elicit; enkindle; evoke; fire; kindle; provoke; raise (call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stimulate"):

titillate (excite pleasurably or erotically)

animate; enliven; exalt; inspire; invigorate (heighten or intensify)

elate; intoxicate; lift up; pick up; uplift (fill with high spirits; fill with optimism)

invite; tempt (give rise to a desire by being attractive or inviting)

thrill; tickle; vibrate (feel sudden intense sensation or emotion)

affright; fright; frighten; scare (cause fear in)

arouse; excite; sex; turn on; wind up (stimulate sexually)

fuel (stimulate)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to stimulate Sue

Sense 7

Meaning:

Stir feelings in

Example:

stir emotions

Synonyms:

excite; stimulate; stir

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "stimulate" is one way to...):

sensitise; sensitize (cause to sense; make sensitive)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stimulate"):

fuck off; jack off; jerk off; masturbate; she-bop; wank (get sexual gratification through self-stimulation)

masturbate (stimulate sexually)

horripilate (cause (someone's) hair to stand on end and to have goosebumps)

work (provoke or excite)

blow; fellate; go down on; suck (provide sexual gratification through oral stimulation)

thrill (cause to be thrilled by some perceptual input)

quicken; whet (make keen or more acute)

disgust; gross out; repel; revolt (fill with distaste)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

stimulant (that stimulates)

stimulative (capable of arousing or accelerating physiological or psychological activity or response by a chemical agent)

stimulus (any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action)

Credits

 Context examples: 

I was at once content and stimulated with what I saw: I liked what I had seen, and wished to see more.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Milodistim exhibits greater receptor binding affinity and colony stimulating activity than its parent cytokines.

(Milodistim, NCI Thesaurus)

It would involve exercising regularly, refraining from smoking, eating a healthful diet and taking part in activities that stimulate the brain.

(Study: There's No Fail-safe Way to Prevent Dementia, VOA)

As an antiestrogen, this agent may inhibit the growth-stimulating effects of estrogen on estrogen-sensitive tumor cells.

(Medroxyprogesterone, NCI Thesaurus)

Upon vaccination, AE37 may activate the immune system and stimulate T-helper cells against HER2/Neu expressing cancer cells.

(AE37 Peptide/GM-CSF Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2A protein, is involved in both myogenesis and growth factor or stress-stimulated transcriptional regulation.

(MEF2A wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

In the current study, specialists wanted to see if drugs already approved for other uses were able to stimulate OPCs to increase myelination.

(Drugs that activate brain stem cells may reverse multiple sclerosis, NIH)

Release of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) by dying tumor cells may then stimulate an antitumor cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response.

(Adenoviral Vector Encoding HSV Thymidine Kinase, NCI Thesaurus)

Upon administration, adenovirus HER2-transduced autologous dendritic cell vaccine may stimulate a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response against HER-2-positive tumor cells, which may result in tumor cell death and decreased tumor growth.

(Adenovirus HER2-Transduced Autologous Dendritic Cell Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

This signaling pathway activates the DCs and stimulates a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response against host tumor cells that express PSMA.

(Adenovector-transduced AP1903-inducible MyD88/CD40-expressing Autologous PSMA-specific Prostate Cancer Vaccine BPX-201, NCI Thesaurus)