in ‧ spire /ɪnˈspaɪə $ -ˈspaɪr/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: inspirer , from Latin , from spirare 'to breathe' ]
1 . to encourage someone by making them feel confident and eager to do something:
We need someone who can inspire the team.
inspire somebody to do something
He inspired many young people to take up the sport.
inspire somebody to something
I hope this success will inspire you to greater efforts.
Inspired by the sunny weather, I decided to explore the woods.
2 . to make someone have a particular feeling or react in a particular way:
Gandhi’s quiet dignity inspired great respect.
inspire confidence (=make people feel confident because they trust your ability)
His driving hardly inspires confidence.
The hospital’s record does not inspire confidence.
3 . to give someone the idea for something, especially a story, painting, poem etc:
The story was inspired by a chance meeting with an old Russian duke.
a range of designs inspired by wild flowers
4 . technical to breathe in