exhort

verb

ex·​hort ig-ˈzȯrt How to pronounce exhort (audio)
exhorted; exhorting; exhorts

transitive verb

: to incite by argument or advice : urge strongly
exhorting voters to do the right thing

intransitive verb

: to give warnings or advice : make urgent appeals
exhorter noun

Did you know?

If you want to add a little oomph to your urge in speech or writing—and formal oomph at that—we exhort you to try using exhort as a synonym instead. Arriving in the 15th century from the Anglo-French word exorter, exhort traces back further to the Latin verb hortari, meaning “to incite to action, urge on, or encourage.” Latin users added the prefix ex- to hortari to intensify it; in essence, exhortari is a succinct way of saying “to really, really urge.” The Latin words adhortari (its meaning similar to that of exhortari) and dehortari (“to dissuade”) also found their way into English as adhort and dehort, respectively, but neither of these remains in current use.

Examples of exhort in a Sentence

He exhorted his people to take back their land. She exhorted her listeners to support the proposition.
Recent Examples on the Web There is plenty to exhort, and lots of talk between songs. Tim Davis, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024 Some would exhort that the generative AI has passed the buck. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 The ruling party has been exhorting state media and others with influence to promote confidence in the markets and the economy, which is forecast to slow further this year from the 5.2% official growth rate reported for 2023, one of the lowest in decades apart from the years of the pandemic. Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 8 Feb. 2024 The layoffs come roughly a month after Shah exhorted employees to work harder. Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2024 The rest of what Trump did involved ostensibly legitimate actions (e.g., exhorting state and federal officials to probe possible election fraud) that Biden Justice Department prosecutors have been trying for years to turn into crimes by imputing corrupt intent. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 13 Jan. 2024 In one of her last acts before retiring from the court, McCormack again exhorted the Legislature to take action. Anna Clark, ProPublica, 2 Jan. 2024 Jensen in particular exhorted his readers to put our bodies and our lives between the industrial system and life on this planet. Christopher Ketcham, Harper's Magazine, 1 Nov. 2023 The president spent countless speeches exhorting Egyptians to have fewer children, work harder and eat healthier. Vivian Yee, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exhort.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French exorter, from Latin exhortari, from ex- + hortari to incite — more at yearn

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of exhort was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near exhort

Cite this Entry

“Exhort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhort. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

exhort

verb
ex·​hort ig-ˈzȯrt How to pronounce exhort (audio)
: to urge strongly
exhorted all citizens to vote
exhorter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on exhort

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