impetus
noun
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Impetus Has Latin Roots
Impetus comes from the Latin verb impetere, meaning "to attack," which is a combination of the prefix in-, meaning "toward," with petere, meaning "to go to" or "to seek." Hence, impetus describes the kind of force that encourages an action ("The impetus behind the project") or the momentum of an action already begun ("The meetings only gave impetus to the rumors of a merger").
Synonyms
Examples of impetus in a Sentence
Dennis Farney, Wall Street Journal, 16 Sept. 1992
But 1939 gave new impetus to the Western with the Cecil B. de Mille railway epic Union Pacific, John Ford's skillful and dramatic Stagecoach, … and George Marshall's classic comic Western, Destry Rides Again.
—Ira Konigsberg, The Complete Film Dictionary, 1987
… new techniques of navigation and shipbuilding enlarged trade and the geographical horizon; newly centralized power absorbed from the declining medieval communes was at the disposal of the monarchies and the growing nationalism of the past century gave it impetus …
—Barbara W. Tuchman, The March of Folly, 1984
His discoveries have given impetus to further research.
the reward money should be sufficient impetus for someone to come forward with information about the robbery
Nia McLean, CNN, 9 Aug. 2024
The impetus for Outside Lands was to feature local food, beer and wine and celebrate the city's art scene and counterculture roots, Spin reports.
—Megan Rose Dickey, Axios, 8 Aug. 2024
Related Stories But cost savings wasn’t the only impetus driving the Tamil Nadu region—which is home to more than 1,000 textile mills—to invest in solar power.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 8 Aug. 2024
Then the familiar finish became the impetus for change.
—Emily Giambalvo, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for impetus 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impetus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near impetus
Cite this Entry
“Impetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impetus. Accessed 25 Aug. 2024.
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impetus
noun
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