Definition of IMPETUS (original) (raw)
1
b
: stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity
2
: the property possessed by a moving body in virtue of its mass and its motion —used of bodies moving suddenly or violently to indicate the origin and intensity of the motion
Did you know?
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
In a revealing comment, Mr. Updike says an impetus for Rabbit, Run was the "threatening" success of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, the signature book of the 1950s Beat Generation, and its frenetic search for sensation. —
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This structural inequity points to a shortfall in the current retirement landscape and should be an impetus for companies to consider redesigning their retirement benefit plans. —Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 But according to a team source, the impetus for Burnes’ six-year, $210 million deal stemmed more from increases in revenues from attendance and sponsorship and the standard competitive-balance tax proceeds. —Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025 That, Mangold told Vulture in 2017, was the driving impetus behind Logan. —Will Leitch, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2024 His death was ruled a suicide, with some pointing to a radio show outing him as gay or bisexual as the impetus. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for impetus 
Word History
Etymology
Latin, assault, impetus, from impetere to attack, from in- + petere to go to, seek — more at feather
First Known Use
1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Time Traveler
The first known use of impetus was in 1641
Dictionary Entries Near impetus
Cite this Entry
“Impetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impetus. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
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Last Updated: 14 Jan 2025 - Updated example sentences
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