urge

noun
UK: /ɜːdʒ/
US: /ɝːdʒ/

  1. A strong desire or impulse to do something.

    1. I had an urge to sing.
    2. She felt the sudden urge to run away from her problems and start anew.

Synonyms

desire impulse craving encourage persuade advise
urge verb

  1. To strongly encourage or persuade someone to do something.

    1. I urge you to go.
    2. The doctor urged him to quit smoking for the sake of his health.

  2. To try to persuade someone in a serious way to do something.

    1. They urge Congress to act.
    2. Environmental groups are urging governments to adopt stricter environmental policies.
urge transitive-verb

  1. To encourage someone to take action, especially in legal context.

    1. I urge everyone to vote.
    2. The human rights activists urge immediate action on the abuses reported.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "urge" is /ɜːdʒ/ in British English and /ɝːdʒ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "urge": desire, impulse, craving, encourage, persuade, advise.

Example usage of "urge": "I had an urge to sing.". More examples on the page.