stimulus
noun
stim·u·lus
ˈstim-yə-ləs 
plural stimuli
ˈstim-yə-ˌlī
-ˌlē
-ˌlē
: something that rouses or incites to activity: such as
a
c
: an agent (such as an environmental change) that directly influences the activity of a living organism or one of its parts (as by exciting a sensory organ or evoking muscular contraction or glandular secretion)
Synonyms
Examples of stimulus in a Sentence
The pay raise was a stimulus for production.
Heat and light are physical stimuli.
The dog responded to the stimulus of the ringing bell.
Recent Examples on the Web
Momentum in China’s rally Chinese stocks soared last week on Beijing’s announcement of economic stimulus.
—
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2024
The last attempt to raise the federal minimum wage occurred in 2021 when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) added a proposal as an amendment to the March COVID-19 stimulus bill.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
China’s monetary and fiscal stimulus has sent some investors scrambling to rectify their significant underweight to China.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
The bottom line: The stimulus is meant to address a troubling mix of downbeat demand from its consumers, deflationary conditions and the burst bubble in its property sector.
—Courtenay Brown, Axios, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stimulus 
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2024
The last attempt to raise the federal minimum wage occurred in 2021 when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) added a proposal as an amendment to the March COVID-19 stimulus bill.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
China’s monetary and fiscal stimulus has sent some investors scrambling to rectify their significant underweight to China.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
The bottom line: The stimulus is meant to address a troubling mix of downbeat demand from its consumers, deflationary conditions and the burst bubble in its property sector.
—Courtenay Brown, Axios, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stimulus
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stimulus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stimulus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stimulus. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stimulus
noun
stim·u·lus
ˈstim-yə-ləs
plural stimuli
-ˌlī
-ˌlē
1
: something that rouses or stirs to action : incentive
2
: something (as an environmental change) that acts to partly change bodily activity (as by exciting a sensory organ)
heat, light, and sound are common physical stimuli
Medical Definition
stimulus
noun
stim·u·lus
ˈstim-yə-ləs
2
: an agent (as an environmental change) that directly influences the activity of living protoplasm (as by exciting a sensory organ or evoking muscular contraction or glandular secretion)
a visual stimulus
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