exhort

From Old French exhorter, from Latin exhortor (“encourage”), from ex (“out of, from”) + hortor (“incite, spur”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɛɡˈzɔːt/, /ɪɡˈzɔːt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɛɡˈzɔɹt/, /ɪɡˈzɔɹt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t
• Hyphenation: ex‧hort

exhort (third-person singular simple present exhorts, present participle exhorting, simple past and past participle exhorted)

1. To urge; to advise earnestly.

   Synonyms: counsel, implore; see also Thesaurus:advise

   Antonyms: dehort, dissuade

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Acts 2:40:

     With many other words did he testify and exhort.

   • 1873, Shairp, John Campbell; Tait, Peter Guthrie; Adams-Reilly, Anthony, quoting James David Forbes, Letter to Anthony Adams-Reilly, Esq., c. 1860, quoted in Life and Letters of James David Forbes, F.R.S., London: Macmillan and Co., page 377:

     And now, my dear sir, let me exhort you to take care of yourself.

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], OCLC 560090630:

     Asked if he had any message for the living he exhorted all who were still at the wrong side of Maya to acknowledge the true path for it was reported in devanic circles that Mars and Jupiter were out for mischief on the eastern angle where the ram has power.

   • 2007 July 21, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter; 7), London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

     Perhaps because he was determined to make up for having walked out on them, perhaps because Harry’s descent into listlessness galvanized his dormant leadership qualities, Ron was the one now encouraging and exhorting the other two into action.

   • 2019 May 12, Alex McLevy, “Westeros faces a disastrous final battle on the penultimate Game of Thrones (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club‎:

     Jon, watching the chaos unfold, is in shock. A Stark in spirit if not blood, he comes to the aid of a woman before she’s raped by a fellow soldier, but mostly, he’s struck dumb by the needless violence playing out around him, eventually able to do little more than exhort everyone to fall back and flee the city.