How to Use spur in a Sentence

spur

1 of 2 noun
  • This is one madeleine recipe that is easy enough to make on the spur of the moment.
    — Elizabeth Karmel, Forbes, 13 June 2022
  • Follow a short spur path for views of the sandstone arch.
    — Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Males carry venomous spurs on their hind legs.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2026
  • And then night to night, just as in the jazz setting, the set can shift in the spur of the moment.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 3 Apr. 2026
  • In past years, our dreams of May are too often shunted from a mainline to a spur.
    — Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
  • Some say his spurs are still jingling down the hallway, chasing after her.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Apples, for example, grow short spurs along the branches.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
  • For her, the retrospective view is not just about legacy, but a spur to keep working.
    — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Some ideas are spur of the moment and others require some pre-production.
    — Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The foliage has fern-like leaves and the flowers are showy blooms with spur protrusions at the bottom.
    — Arkansas Online, 28 Mar. 2022
  • Columbine is an early-season bloomer with nectar-rich spurs, giving your garden a head start in spring.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
  • That loop yields a two-mile hike with 300 feet of climbing, not counting the short spur trail up to the hogback.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The back paws of the male platypus are known now to possess hollow spurs in their heels, which are connected to venom glands.
    — Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023
  • The spur ridges that formed the canyon walls were more open, with big yellow pines and occasional meadows of dry yellow grass.
    — Chester Chatfield, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2025
  • As is always the case whenever such a spur occurs, the two musical stars are now on the decline.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
  • The veterinarian said there is no medical reason for the birds to have been live plucked or to have their spurs cut so short.
    — S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Tack on the mile-long spur Fern Trail to meander past a series of waterfalls.
    — Graham Averill, Outside Online, 14 Nov. 2022
  • Yeezy works into the evening, hacking at jagged spurs of plastic and tapping away with a special brass gunsmith’s hammer.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026
  • Pairing it with columbine, an early-season bloomer with nectar-rich spurs, ensures your garden has food available from the start.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Gold and silver metallic tones can also be used to evoke the look of belt buckles, spurs, and other metallic accessories.
    — Elle Turner, Glamour, 31 May 2026
  • The stream shows a gap and spur pattern, as if something invisible passed through it and disrupted its structure.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Apr. 2026
  • The team now believes Betts can get through the season with cortisone and have the spur removed afterward.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2021
  • This image, of course, was an enormous spur to the modern environmental movement.
    — Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026
  • But would better price transparency spur competition or lower prices?
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Males carry venomous spurs on their hind legs, and the animal can sense electrical signals underwater to hunt prey.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
  • But it is also structured like a mystery and a melodrama where big psychological twists are announced on the spur of a moment.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Standing right behind the decoy, the bird cautiously sized up George, pecked him on the head, then jumped and used his spurs to knock George to the ground.
    — Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Last offseason, Garcia had a minor procedure to remove an elbow spur in his right elbow.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Since the announcement of the project four years ago, the plant has been behind a large spur of growth in Hardin County, just south of Louisville.
    — Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Dec. 2025
  • It’s located right off the spur trail leading into the Capitol View neighborhood.
    — Kate Williams, AJC.com, 29 May 2026

spur

2 of 2 verb
  • He spurred the horse onward.
  • The reward spurred them to work harder.
  • Lower interest rates should spur economic growth.
  • But can a novel spur you to kill?
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
  • And that kind of spurred on the orange juice video.
    — Tabitha Parent, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • That spurred even more building.
    — Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Which foods spurred people to eat the most calories?
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
  • Which foods spurred people to eat the most calories?
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Police did not say what spurred the welfare check.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 19 June 2026
  • That optimism has spurred stocks to record highs.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Madani wants the report to spur action.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Kids are still out of school for winter break, which no doubt spurred the late-stage boost.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Moreno’s double then spurred a four-run rally.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
  • But not all questions spur action.
    — William Arruda, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • The next moment, spur your despair.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Interest in his wacky creations from friends spurred him to hit record.
    — Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2023
  • The onslaught, and what spurred it, is complex, Huff said.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The road trip spurs Thien to question his faith and the purpose of his life.
    — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 July 2023
  • These people hoped that a market upheaval might spur change.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026
  • That’s a smart move as future rate cuts spur more small-biz borrowing.
    — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Now, Christman's death could spur new heart screening laws.
    — Stephanie Stremplewski, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Floods can spur the nonnative grasses to grow.
    — Evan Bush, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
  • The threat of a delay also spurred lawsuits.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
  • At the time, the move raised some eyebrows—but now it’s spurred an entire franchise.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Which spurs more donations from alumni and such.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Pesky crabgrass thrives in the same moist, warm conditions that spur your lawn to turn green in spring.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The search for the tunnel had been spurred by an ambush on Friday.
    — Raf Sanchez, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2023
  • But the rebellion has also spurred a race to the bottom.
    — Laura K. Field, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
  • His death spurred mixed responses — and action.
    — Paris Barraza, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
  • At the same time, these favorable conditions spur a new flush of weed growth.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spur.' 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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