as in urging
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action
the speaker exhorted the graduating students to go forth and try to make a difference in the world
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Recent Examples of exhorting
Sergey Brin, Google’s billionaire cofounder who stepped back from day-to-day involvement in 2019, is back full-time, pitching in on some of the technical work and exhorting staffers to push themselves harder and to work longer hours, according to media reports.
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Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
In its opening scene, from George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for Bangladesh, Preston starts singing the warmly exhorting gospel song that gives the film its name.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024
San Diego Clippers coach Paul Hewitt sometimes resembles a third-base coach, waving his arms forward rapidly, exhorting his players to race the ball up the floor after a rebound or forced turnover.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2024
On an August day in 2011, a man stood outside City Hall in Newark, New Jersey, exhorting a crowd through a wireless microphone.
—Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exhorting
Verb
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Crime Stoppers is urging the public not to approach the suspect, who should be considered armed and dangerous.—
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Economic risk from China dispute Japan's Internal Affairs Ministry issued a statement on Saturday urging regional election committees to start preparing in case of an early election.—
Verb
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There was a lot to like about Jovic’s performance on Saturday, with Heat veteran guard Norman Powell pushing and encouraging him along the way.—
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Salt-n-Pepa also joined in, and the group of artists concluded the set with a call-and-response moment alongside the crowd, encouraging everyone to scream along.—
Cite this Entry
“Exhorting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exhorting. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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