impetus

/ˈɪmpɪtəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪmpɪtəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈim-pə-təs/ (ame, mw)

impetus — 名詞

1. A force or influence that gives people a fresh reason to put extra effort into a

1.名詞B2
釋義

推動力

促使事物加速發展的力量

A force or influence that gives people a fresh reason to put extra effort into an activity, or that helps a slow or stuck process begin to advance.

例句

The new government grant gave a fresh impetus to the town's small businesses.

新的政府補助金為該鎮的小型企業注入了新的推動力。

collocation: give fresh impetus to

Hana's success in the science fair gave her classmates the impetus to start their own experiments.

Hana 在科展上的成功讓同學們有了動力去展開自己的實驗。

impetus for [sb] to [verb] pattern

同義詞
  • stimulus

    more direct and often used for immediate reactions; stronger biological or economic connotation

  • motivation

    more personal and internal; focuses on a person's own desire to act

  • encouragement

    warmer and more personal; usually involves positive emotional support from others

反義詞
  • deterrent

    something that discourages or prevents action

文法句型

impetus + for + noun phrase

give/provide + impetus + to-infinitive

gain/lose + impetus

用法筆記

Frequently used with the verbs give, provide, gain, or lose. The subject is often an event, discovery, policy, or social trend rather than a person.

常見錯誤

❌The bonus was an impetus for harder work.
✅The bonus was an incentive for harder work.
💡'impetus' describes a broad force that energises a process; 'incentive' is a specific reward aimed at changing behaviour.

2. The continuing force that keeps a moving object travelling in the same direction

2.名詞B2
釋義

衝力

物體運動時產生的持續力量

The continuing force that keeps a moving object travelling in the same direction, without any extra push.

例句

The rolling ball gained impetus as it raced down the steep hillside.

滾動的球在衝下陡峭山坡時獲得了更大的衝力。

impetus of a moving physical object (gain + impetus)

Hamza pushed the swing harder, giving it enough impetus to reach the high branches.

Hamza 更用力地推了鞦韆，使其獲得足夠的衝力盪到高處的樹枝。

同義詞
  • momentum

    everyday equivalent; far more common in speech and informal writing

  • propulsion

    emphasises the act of pushing forward rather than the continuing force after the push stops

文法句型

impetus + carries + object + adverbial

gain + impetus

用法筆記

Mainly appears in formal, technical, or academic writing about physics. In everyday spoken English, the word momentum is far more common for this meaning.