spur

spur¹ [spə: US spə:r] n

[: Old English; Origin: spura]

1.) on the spur of the moment

suddenly, without any previous planning or thought

▪ We would often decide what to play on the spur of the moment.

→↑spur-of-the-moment

2.) a fact or event that makes you try harder to do something

spur to

▪ It provided the spur to further research.

▪ The crowd's reaction only acted as a spur.

3.) a sharp pointed object on the heel of a rider's boot which is used to encourage a horse to go faster

4.) earn/win your spurs

to show that you deserve to succeed because you have the right skills

5.) a piece of high ground which sticks out from the side of a hill or mountain

6.) a railway track or road that goes away from a main line or road

spur ²

spur² v past tense and past participle spurred present participle spurring

1.) [T] also spur sb on

to encourage someone or make them want to do something

▪ The band were spurred on by the success of their last two singles.

spur sb (on) to do sth

▪ His misfortunes spurred him to write.

spur sb (on) to sth

▪ the coach who spurred him on to Olympic success

▪ It was an article in the local newspaper which finally spurred him into action .

2.) [T]

to make an improvement or change happen faster

= ↑encourage

▪ Lower taxes would spur investment and help economic growth.

3.) [I and T]

to encourage a horse to go faster, especially by pushing it with special points on the heels of your boots