spur

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spur^¹

/spɜː/ UK
/spɝ/ US
/spʌr/ Scotland
/spøː/ New Zealand
/speː/
/spɛː/
/spɜː(ɹ)/

Sounds like spare (fair–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ), -ʌr

Where it comes from

From Middle English spure, spore, from Old English spora, spura, from Proto-West Germanic *spurō, from Proto-Germanic *spurô, from Proto-Indo-European *sperH- (“to kick”).

noun spurs

A rigid implement, often roughly y-shaped, that is fixed to one's heel for the purpose of prodding a horse. Often worn by, and emblematic of, the cowboy or the knight. Lives he, good uncle? thrice within this hour I saw him down; thrice up again, and fighting; From helmet to the spur all blood he was.
A jab given with the spurs. I had hardly said the word, when Kit jumped into the saddle, and gave his horse a whip and a spur — and off it cantered, as if it were in as great a hurry to be married as Kit himself.
figuratively Anything that inspires or motivates, as a spur does a horse. She is a theame of honour and renowne, / A ſpurre to valiant and magnanimous deeds, / Whoſe preſent courage may beate downe our foes, / And fame in time to come canonize us, [...]
An appendage or spike pointing rearward, near the foot, for instance that of a rooster.
Any protruding part connected at one end, for instance a highway that extends from another highway into a city.
Roots, tree roots. […] the strong-bas'd promontory / Have I made shake; and by the spurs pluck'd up / The pine and cedar […]
A mountain that shoots from another mountain or range and extends some distance in a lateral direction, or at right angles. But a narrow spur of rocks arched out and over the hole, ending in an outcrop perhaps a hundred feet across.
A spiked iron worn by seamen upon the bottom of the boot, to enable them to stand upon the carcass of a whale to strip off the blubber.
A brace strengthening a post and some connected part, such as a rafter or crossbeam; a strut.
The short wooden buttress of a post.
A projection from the round base of a column, occupying the angle of a square plinth upon which the base rests, or bringing the bottom bed of the base to a nearly square form. It is generally carved in leafage.
Ergotized rye or other grain.
A wall in a fortification that crosses a part of a rampart and joins to an inner wall.
A piece of timber fixed on the bilgeways before launching, having the upper ends bolted to the vessel's side.
A curved piece of timber serving as a half to support the deck where a whole beam cannot be placed.
A branch of a vein.
A very short branch line of a railway line.
A short branch road of a motorway, freeway or major road.
A short thin side shoot from a branch, especially one that bears fruit or, in conifers, the shoots that bear the leaves.

verb spurs · spurring · spurred

transitive To prod (especially a horse) on the side or flank, with the intent to urge motion or haste, to gig. Draw, archers, draw your arrows to the head! Spur your proud horses hard, and ride in blood; Amaze the welkin with your broken staves!
transitive To urge or encourage to action, or to a more vigorous pursuit of an object My desire / (More sharp than filed steel) did spur me forth...
Similar: incite, stimulate, instigate, impel, drive, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting
transitive To put spurs on. to spur boots
intransitive To press forward; to travel in great haste.
To form a spur (senses 17-18 of the noun) It spurs off the Robin Hood line, providing ten miles of single-line test track with a three-mile double section, capable of testing up to 75mph.

spur^²

/spɜː/ UK
/spɝ/ US
/spʌr/ Scotland
/spøː/ New Zealand
/speː/
/spɛː/
/spɜː(ɹ)/

Sounds like spare (fair–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ), -ʌr

Where it comes from

See sparrow.

noun spurs

A tern.

spur^³

/spɜː/ UK
/spɝ/ US
/spʌr/ Scotland
/spøː/ New Zealand
/speː/
/spɛː/
/spɜː(ɹ)/

Sounds like spare (fair–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ), -ʌr

Where it comes from

Short for spurious.

noun spurs

A spurious tone, one that interferes with a signal in a circuit and is often masked underneath that signal.

spur^⁴

/spɜː/ UK
/spɝ/ US
/spʌr/ Scotland
/spøː/ New Zealand
/speː/
/spɛː/
/spɜː(ɹ)/

Sounds like spare (fair–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ), -ʌr

noun spurs

The track of an animal, such as an otter; a spoor.

spur^⁵

/spɜː/ UK
/spɝ/ US
/spʌr/ Scotland
/spøː/ New Zealand
/speː/
/spɛː/
/spɜː(ɹ)/

Sounds like spare (fair–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ), -ʌr

verb spurs · spurring · spurred

alternative, dialectal, obsolete Alternative form of speer I haue yonder vncouered a faire girle, Ile be ſo bolde as ſpurre her, vvhat might a bodie call her name?

Spur^⁶

Where it comes from

English surname, variant of Spurr. Compare the noun spur.

proper noun Spurs

An occupational surname from Middle English
Similar: Spoor, Spoore, Spoores, Spoors, Spor, Spore, Spores, Spors, Spurr, Spurs

noun Spurs

someone connected with Tottenham Hotspur FC, as a fan, player, coach etc.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: goad, prod, prodding, branch line, gad, goading, spine, spur track, urging, rowel, pin, bolster, track, spike, stoke, head

Translations

Every language

noun implement for prodding a horse

Español	espuela, acicate, espolín, chocoyas, espolón
한국어	박차 bakcha
日本語	拍車 hakusha
中文	馬刺 /马刺 mǎcì
हिन्दी	महमेज़ mahmez
Português	espora
Français	éperon
Deutsch	Sporn
Italiano	sperone
Ελληνικά	σπιρούνι spiroúni
Română	pinten
Русский	шпо́ра špóra
Tiếng Việt	đinh thúc ngựa
العربية	مِهْمَاز mihmāz
עברית	דורבן, דָּרְבָּן dorbán

noun jab given with the spurs

Español	espolazo, espolada

noun anything that inspires or motivates

Español	espuela, acicate
日本語	刺激 shigeki
中文	鞭策 biāncè, 激勵 /激励 jīlì, 刺激 cìjī, 鼓舞 gǔwǔ
Português	espora
Deutsch	Ansporn
Italiano	sprono
Русский	сти́мул stímul

noun appendage near the foot

Español	espolón, puón
中文	距 jù
Português	espora
Français	ergot
Italiano	sperone
Română	pinten
Русский	шпо́ра špóra
Tiếng Việt	cựa

noun any protruding part

中文	支線 /支线 zhīxiàn
Português	conexão, prolongamento
Français	embranchement
Italiano	diramazione, divaricazione, sporgenza, protuberanza, sperone, spunzone

noun projection from a mountain or mountain range

Español	espolón
中文	山嘴 shānzuǐ
Italiano	guglia, cima, vetta, picco, pinnacolo, pizzo
Русский	отро́г otróg

noun carpentry: brace strengthening a post and some connected part

Español	puntal

noun architecture: projection from the round base of a column

Deutsch	Eckblatt

verb to prod

Español	espolear, espolonear, acicatear, arrear
日本語	突く tsuku, 拍車をかける hakusha o kakeru
中文	策(馬 /马)前進 /前进 mǎ, 策(马)前进 mǎ
Português	esporar
Français	éperonner
Deutsch	die Sporen geben
Italiano	pungolare, spronare
Русский	пришпо́ривать prišpórivatʹ, пришпо́рить prišpóritʹ
עברית	דִּרְבֵּן dirbén

verb to urge or encourage to action

Español	espolear
한국어	박차를 가하다 bakchareul gahada
日本語	行動させる kōdō saseru
中文	鞭策 biāncè, 激勵 /激励 jīlì, 刺激 cìjī, 鼓舞 gǔwǔ, 促進 /促进 cùjìn, 刺激(某事)發生 /发生 mǒushì
Português	instigar, provocar, estimular
Français	stimuler
Deutsch	anspornen
Italiano	stimolare, incoraggiare, instigare, incitare, spronare
Română	îndemna
Русский	подгоня́ть podgonjátʹ, побужда́ть pobuždátʹ
עברית	דִּרְבֵּן dirbén

verb to put spurs on

Español	poner espuelas (las)
Deutsch	mit Sporen versehen
Italiano	montare gli speroni

noun track of an animal — see also track

Español	rastro

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"spur." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spur. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

spur. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spur

Chicago

"spur." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spur.

BibTeX

@misc{spur_2026,
  title = {spur},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spur},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}

spur

AI In plain words

spur¹

Where it comes from

noun spurs

verb spurs · spurring · spurred

spur²

Where it comes from

noun spurs

spur³

Where it comes from

noun spurs

spur⁴

noun spurs

spur⁵

verb spurs · spurring · spurred

Spur⁶

Where it comes from

proper noun Spurs

noun Spurs

Thesaurus

Translations

noun implement for prodding a horse

noun jab given with the spurs

noun anything that inspires or motivates

noun appendage near the foot

noun any protruding part

noun projection from a mountain or mountain range

noun carpentry: brace strengthening a post and some connected part

noun architecture: projection from the round base of a column

verb to prod

verb to urge or encourage to action

verb to put spurs on

noun track of an animal — see also track

spur^¹

spur^²

spur^³

spur^⁴

spur^⁵

Spur^⁶