From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstimulatestim‧u‧late /ˈstɪmjəleɪt/ ●○○ verb [transitive] 1 HELPto encourage or help an activity to begin or develop further OPP suppressstimulate growth/demand/the economy etc the president’s plan to stimulate economic growth2 EXCITEDto encourage someone by making them excited about and interested in something Her interest in art was stimulated by her father.stimulate somebody to do something An inspiring teacher can stimulate students to succeed.3 HBto make a plant or part of the body become active or stronger OPP suppress Light stimulates plant growth. —stimulative /-lətɪv $ -leɪtɪv/ adjective —stimulation /ˌstɪmjəˈleɪʃən/ noun [uncountable] Children need variety and stimulation.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
stimulate• There are two possible explanations: the online environment either created a new demand or stimulated an existing inherent need.• Another part of the economy was stimulated by the need to provide a labour force to grow this flourishing crop.• Tax is a powerful mechanism for stimulating change.• The activities are designed to stimulate classroom discussions.• He never shared the extreme supply-siders' faith that tax cuts would pay for themselves by stimulating faster growth.• I had eaten with Minna, but the cold had stimulated my appetite again.• The herb echinacea seems to stimulate the body's immune system.• George has tried stimulating the right temporal lobe while showing patients such actors' faces depicting a standard emotion like disgust.• City leaders hope the amusement park will stimulate tourism.stimulate growth/demand/the economy etc• In July, an anti-corruption drive was also launched to stimulate the economy.• Monetary policy hasn't been working because interest rates have been reduced to almost zero without stimulating the economy.• The government, committed to tight monetary and fiscal policies, is unlikely to stimulate the economy.interest ... stimulated• Interest would be stimulated among those not directly involved with the test.• To be sure, many of those calls were orchestrated by political interest groups and stimulated by irate talk show hosts.• The Church hopes this new opportunity will arouse a similar level of interest as that stimulated by previous religious radio broadcasts.• The interests which stimulated their innovation and guided their development and use were primarily those of political administration rather than the strictly academic.From Longman Business Dictionarystimulatestim‧u‧late /ˈstɪmjəleɪt/ verb [transitive] to encourage an activity to begin or develop furtherBanks were urged to lower credit-card interest rates to stimulate consumer spending.Any increase in industrial activity will stimulate demand for electricity. —stimulative adjectivestimulative fiscal measures —stimulation noun [uncountable]short-term economic stimulation→ See Verb tableOrigin stimulate (1500-1600) Latin past participle of stimulare, from stimulus; → STIMULUS 