- 1 to give somebody support, courage or hope encourage somebody in something My parents have always encouraged me in my choice of career. encourage somebody We were greatly encouraged by the positive response of the public. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbgreatly, highly, strongly, … verb + encourageaim to, try to, want to, … prepositionin phrasesan attempt to encourage something, an effort to encourage something See full entry
- 2 encourage somebody to do something | encourage doing something to persuade somebody to do something by making it easier for them and making them believe it is a good thing to do Banks actively encouraged people to borrow money. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbgreatly, highly, strongly, … verb + encourageaim to, try to, want to, … prepositionin phrasesan attempt to encourage something, an effort to encourage something See full entry
- 3 to make something more likely to happen or develop encourage something (in somebody/something) They claim that some computer games encourage violent behaviour in young children. encourage somebody to do something Music and lighting are used to encourage shoppers to buy more. encourage doing something Technology encourages multitasking. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbgreatly, highly, strongly, … verb + encourageaim to, try to, want to, … prepositionin phrasesan attempt to encourage something, an effort to encourage something See full entry opposite discourage Word OriginMiddle English (formerly also as incourage): from French encourager, from en- ‘in’ + corage ‘courage’.Extra examples Newspapers should not publish material that is likely to encourage discrimination on the grounds of race or colour. She especially encouraged young scientists. Speaking your mind is highly encouraged at these sessions. The government must actively encourage investment in these areas. These questions are designed to encourage debate. We were greatly encouraged by the support we received. ‘Good girl, you’re doing fine,’ he encouraged her. Do toy guns encourage aggression? Music and special lighting are used to encourage shoppers to spend more. Programmes like this just encourage stereotyping. The aim of the campaign is to encourage youngsters not to smoke. The new measures are designed to encourage more people to cycle. The treaty is aimed at encouraging cooperation between Member States. They claim that some computer games encourage violent behaviour in children. We’re looking at ways to encourage recycling.
verb jump to other results
BrE BrE//ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒ//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they encourage BrE BrE//ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒ//
he / she / it encourages BrE BrE//ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒɪz//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒɪz//
past simple encouraged BrE BrE//ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒd//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒd//
past participle encouraged BrE BrE//ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒd//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒd//
-ing form encouraging BrE BrE//ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒɪŋ//
Check pronunciation: encourage
