- a sharp pointed object that riders sometimes wear on the heels of their boots and use to encourage their horse to go faster
- He dug his spurs into the horse’s sides.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary… of spurs- pair
- dig in
- dig into something
- [usually singular] a fact or an event that makes you want to do something better or more quickly synonym motivation
- spur (to something) His speech was a powerful spur to action.
- A few encouraging words might provide just the spur she needs.
- spur for something The research provided a spur for reform.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- great
- powerful
- act as
- be
- give (somebody)
- …
- spur for
- spur to
- an area of high ground that sticks out from a mountain or hillTopics Geographyc2
- a road or a railway track that leads from the main road or lineTopics Transport by bus and trainc2
Word OriginOld English spora, spura, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch spoor and German Sporn, also to spurn.
Idioms
See spur in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee spur in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishon the spur of the moment
- suddenly, without planning in advance
- I phoned him up on the spur of the moment.
- a spur-of-the-moment decision
win/earn your spurs
- (formal) to become famous or successfulTopics Successc2
Check pronunciation:
spur