From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishurgeurge1 /ɜːdʒ $ ɜːrdʒ/ ●●○ W3 verb [transitive] 1 ADVISEto strongly suggest that someone does somethingurge somebody to do something I got a note from Moira urging me to get in touch.urge that He urged that a referendum should be held by December.urge something on/upon somebody I have urged upon him the need for extreme secrecy. The charity urged quick action.► see thesaurus at advise, recommend2 [always + adverb/preposition] formalTELL/ORDER somebody TO DO something to make someone or something move by shouting, pushing them etcurge somebody/something forward He urged her forward, his hand under her elbow.urge somebody into/towards something She began urging him towards the front door. → urge somebody ↔ on→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
urge• Police are urging drivers not to come into London this weekend.• The company's bosses are urging full cooperation with the trade union.• Lori dominated the table and Travis urged her on with a few well-chosen words.• This has often led him to tighten monetary policy while everybody around was urging him to ease.• What induced them to do this is not known, but Creon urged it and Oedipus' sons consented to it.• She had urged me to go out on my own, to start my own company.• He urged newspapers not to identify criminals by religion.• Herrera urged patience in the negotiations.• He gave copies of the report to all those present at the meeting, urging that they read and digest its contents.• It is believed to be the first time a developer has urged the Government to schedule an archaeological site.• They urge their students to see the parallels between the lives they are studying and their own.urge something on/upon somebody• During summer vacation, Mrs. White regularly urged books on me.urgeurge2 ●●○ noun [countable] WANTa strong wish or need SYN desireurge to do something He could no longer resist the urge to go and see Amanda. Suddenly she had an overwhelming urge to be with her son.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesstrong/powerfulThe urge was too strong to resist.an irresistible/uncontrollable/overwhelming urge (=very strong)I was overcome by an irresistible urge to laugh.a sudden urgeShe fought back the sudden urge to beg his forgiveness.a sexual/biological urgeMost of us feel the biological urge to reproduce.a primal/instinctive/basic/natural urge (=a natural urge that all people have)Every animal has an instinctive urge to survive.verbsfeel/have an urgeI still sometimes feel an urge to have a cigarette.resist/fight/suppress an urgeShe had to resist a constant urge to look back over her shoulder.satisfy an urge (=do want you feel you want to do)He satisfied his urge to travel by going to India.give in to an urge (=do what you feel you want to do, when this is wrong)I try not to give in to the urge to gossip. Examples from the Corpus
urge• More crudely, they are written off as a rampaging mob, victim to primitive urges or the machinations of conspirators.• If you have the same urge for desert places - go now.• sexual urges• I felt a sudden urge to tell him all my problems.• But the urge to indulge, never rational, never completely disappears.• Most individuals experience the urge to defecate on morning awakening and after meals, when colonic motility is known to peak.• Bedford felt the urge to have a go but suppressed it.• He was fighting the urge to drink as he waited for her to come down.• Sheena resisted the urge to get in her car and go home.• She was seized with the urge to drag Alice from her chair and shake her.• Behavioral modification is often used for women with urge incontinence.resist ... urge• Corrigan resisted the urge to grab him by the arm and hold him.• Bernice could hardly resist the urge to turn and run, but she supported Defries and retreated step by step.• Health Resist the urge to over-exert yourself.• Will we as lawyers use our privileged positions to extend our influence, or resist the urge to make ourselves indispensable?• But she resisted the urge to turn and glance at him and kept her eyes fixed straight ahead.• With difficulty Shiona resisted the urge to phone him up at home and demand an explanation.• Yanto resisted the urge to rush things.• You resist the urge to test the weight on the lid again, because by now you've forgotten how it felt before.Origin urge1 (1500-1600) Latin urgere 