-ˌlāt, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin stimulatus, past participle of stimulare, from stimulus goad
transitive verb
1. : to excite to activity or growth or to greater activity or exertion : stir up : goad , prick , animate
crop loss might stimulate a man to intenser fishing activity — V.W.Turner
: liven
the very controversy his book aroused stimulated its sale — Eugene Exman
: arouse
establishing the fund … to stimulate public interest in poetry — College English
2. : to function as a stimulus to ; especially : to evoke the characteristic physiologic activity of (as a nerve or muscle)
3. : to arouse or affect by a stimulant drug
the caffeine in coffee will stimulate the patient
4. : to administer dope to (a racehorse) to speed running
intransitive verb
: to act as a stimulant or stimulus
an academic atmosphere that stimulates rather than stultifies
Synonyms: see provoke