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to spirit

to spirit

1 6.8
To make someone feel lively, brave, or full of energy
  • verb
  • /ˈspɪrɪt/
translation icon : animar
  • The uplifting speech spirited the audience, filling them with a renewed sense of hope and excitement.

Examples

  • He wanted the bride's side to rise up as one and spirit her away.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • She had spirited him away from misery, and now every move she made, every word she spoke, was designed to make him feel better and to encourage him to forget.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Arians also said Monday's practice was spirited, crediting the players for their hard work.

    Blog text (16)
  • "Yesterday's practice was as spirited a Sunday practice as we've had in quite some time," Kansas coach Charlie Weis said on Monday's teleconference call.

    Blog text (2)
  • The coach inspired the team to believe they could win, spiriting them to play their best in the final game.

  • She used music to spirit the children away into a world of imagination during story time.

Synonyms

to lift one's spirits
vsto spirit
8 3.9

To make someone feel happier

brings liveliness and courage rather than only cheerfulness
to spirit up
vsto spirit
  • Informal
3 7.0

Make someone feel happier and full of energy

fills with lasting liveliness and courage rather than a quick morale lift
to light up the room
vsto spirit
  • Informal
3 3.8

Make a room feel happy and friendly when someone arrives

applies to filling with liveliness and courage more broadly, not only atmosphere
1 3.9

To make someone feel happier when they are sad

is used to fill with liveliness and courage rather than only to comfort
1 3.4

Help someone feel happier

adds courage and active liveliness rather than just raising mood
to inspirit
vsto spirit
  • Archaic
7.4

To give someone energy, courage, or determination

is about general liveliness and enthusiasm rather than determined drive
to pneumatize
vsto spirit
  • Formal
9.9

To give people a strong feeling of spiritual power

means filling with everyday liveliness and courage rather than religious power

Antonyms

257 3.5

To try to stop something by making people less willing to do it

Phrasal Verbs

to spirit away
  • Literature
4 8.7

To take someone or something away quickly and secretly, often in a mysterious way

to spirit up
  • Informal
3 7.0

Make someone feel happier and full of energy

To take someone or something away quickly and secretly

To make people in a town or neighbourhood feel closer and more willing to help each other

Compounds

104 4.5

The presence of God that Christians believe works in the world to guide and comfort people

evil spirit
  • Literature
41 6.8

A ghost or invisible being people believe causes harm and bad luck

26 1.8

A warm, generous feeling people have at Christmas time

23 4.8

A person who follows their own way and ignores social rules

spirit world
  • Literature
19 7.9

A place where spirits like ghosts, angels, or ancestors live

8 2.4

A feeling of pride and support that helps a group work well together

A strong will and courage to keep trying against difficulties

good spirit
  • Literature
4 7.8

A kind spirit that protects people and brings good luck

A feeling that makes people feel they belong and help each other

A wish to take risks and try new things

spirit gum
  • Specialized
2 8.1

Glue that sticks fake hair or makeup pieces to skin

guardian spirit
  • Literature
1 7.9

A protective being or angel that watches over a person

spirit animal
  • Literature
1 7.0

An animal believed to show a person's character or guide them

1 7.5

A thing that matches someone's mood or personality, often said jokingly

1 4.9

A feeling of pride and responsibility for your town that makes you help improve it

disembodied spirit
  • Literature
1 9.5

A spirit without a body that appears to people or stays near places

familiar spirit
  • Literature
1 9.9

A small magical animal that helps a witch or wizard

1 7.0

Strong loyalty to a political party that makes you biased

A lively, friendly way of acting that likes fun and makes people laugh

1 4.1

A tool with a closed tube and a bubble to check if surfaces like a shelf are flat or upright

A strong feeling of being able to act without limits

A strong will to keep trying when things are hard

water spirit
  • Literature
1 9.8

A magical being in stories that lives in rivers, lakes, or the sea

camphor spirit
  • Archaic
7.4

A liquid made of alcohol and camphor used to rub on the skin or breathe in for cough relief

A strong feeling of people working together and being determined in hard times

Excitement and eagerness a new person shows when starting a job or class

A lively joyful feeling that shows in energetic Ukrainian dance

Alcohol made unsafe to drink by adding poisons and used for cleaning or as a fuel

9.9

A joking way to show strong American pride, for example with flags and eagles

A strong wish to travel and live in different places

proof spirit
  • Specialized
8.4

A liquid with fifty percent alcohol that serves as a standard for measuring alcohol strength

Rhodie spirit
  • Jargon
9.1

A strong feeling of pride and unity at Rhododendron University events

A strong alcohol used to clean skin before injections or surgery

spirit lamp
  • Specialized
7.0

A small lamp that burns alcohol to heat things in a lab

spirit of turpentine
  • Specialized
9.0

A strong liquid used to thin oil paint and clean brushes

spirit rapper
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who makes knocking sounds and says they are messages from the dead

spirit rapping
  • Archaic
9.9

A way people think ghosts answer by making short knocking sounds

8.1

A small portable cooker that burns alcohol for cooking and heating

9.4

A strong wish to keep trying that cannot be stopped

wood spirit
  • Specialized
9.4

A poisonous alcohol people make by heating wood, used as fuel or solvent

8.0

A determined, practical way of working hard and never giving up, often linked to people from the northern United States

Yesvember spirit
  • Neologism
9.9

A positive, open attitude people choose in November

zombi spirit
  • Literature
9.9

A spirit in voodoo that makes a dead body come back to life

zombie spirit
  • Literature
9.9

A ghost believed to bring a dead body back to life

How Lively

to inspire
837 3.2
to exhilarate
12 6.9
to spirit
1 6.8
to enliven
6 4.1
to perk up
  • Informal
16 3.1
to cheer
392 1.0

Surface Forms

spirit infinitive
spirited past
spirited past participle
spiriting present participle
spirits third person singular

Etymology

Spirit as a verb links to the same root spir- 'to breathe', just like in inspire, so it carries the idea of giving life or energy. That's why to spirit someone is to fill them with liveliness, courage, or enthusiasm.