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espolear

to spur, to goad

verb es-poh-leh-AHR Rare
Mind & Emotions Attitudes

Origin: From espuela (spur), from Old Spanish, ultimately from Gothic spaura.

Also means

to urge on, to stimulate

Usage Note

Espolear literally means to use spurs on a horse, and figuratively it means to motivate or urge someone into action (la competencia los espoleó a innovar). It is a regular -ar verb. The related noun is espuela (spur). The figurative use is standard in journalism and is not considered archaic or overly literary.

Examples

"La competencia los espoleó a trabajar más."

Natural Translation

The competition spurred them to work harder.

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