Definition of "encourage" []

• To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten. (verb-transitive)
• To give support to; foster: policies designed to encourage private investment. (verb-transitive)
• To stimulate; spur: burning the field to encourage new plant growth. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Mansfield say that the object of the exception in regard to Spain and Portugal was to encourage -- yes, to _encourage_ -- the smuggling trade."
• "In fact, the word encourage means “to put courage into, to give strength.”"
• "It's a great feeling to have a label encourage you to be more socially conscious and politically active."