1
a spur to sth
表示对某事物的激励或刺激。
The new law was a spur to economic growth.
新法律是经济增长的刺激因素。
马刺
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
马刺
a pointed instrument worn on a rider's heel for urging a horse forward
The new law was a spur to economic growth.
新法律是经济增长的刺激因素。
固定在脚跟用于刺马的马刺,常为牛仔或骑士所用
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.
A tern.
A spurious tone, one that interferes with a signal in a circuit and is often masked underneath that signal.
The track of an animal, such as an otter; a spoor.
The cowboy tightened the spur on his boot before riding the horse.
牛仔骑马前把靴子上的马刺系紧。
Her encouraging words were a spur to finish the project.
她鼓励的话语是完成这个项目的鞭策。
The knight's golden spurs glinted in the sun.
骑士的金色马刺在阳光下闪闪发光。
表示对某事物的激励或刺激。
The new law was a spur to economic growth.
新法律是经济增长的刺激因素。
固定短语，表示一时冲动、未经事先考虑。
We decided to go on the spur of the moment.
我们一时冲动就决定了。
表示某事物带来的激励或驱动力。
The spur of competition drove them to work harder.
竞争的刺激驱使他们更加努力。
Not this
The new policy is a spur for economic growth.
Use this
The new policy is a spur to economic growth.
名词 spur 后常接介词 to，表示“对……的刺激”，而非 for。
Not this
He needs spur to work harder.
Use this
He needs a spur to work harder.
spur 为可数名词，单数形式前需加不定冠词 a。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
一时冲动之下
They decided to go on a trip on the spur of the moment.
他们一时冲动决定去旅行。
一时冲动的决定
It was a spur of the moment decision to buy the car.
买这辆车是一时冲动的决定。
铁路支线
The freight train turned onto the spur of the road.
货运列车拐进了铁路支线。
脚跟骨刺
Heel spurs can cause pain when walking.
脚跟骨刺走路时会引起疼痛。
直齿轮
The machine uses a set of spur gears for transmission.
这台机器使用一组直齿轮进行传动。
马刺
The rider gently touched the horse with his rider's spur.
骑手用马刺轻轻触碰马匹。
一时冲动之下；不假思索地
We decided to go on a road trip on the spur of the moment.
我们一时冲动决定去公路旅行。
行动的刺激/动力
The urgent need for reform was a spur to action.
改革的迫切需求是行动的动力。
赢得荣誉；证明自己的能力
He won his spurs as a young lawyer in the landmark case.
他在这起里程碑式的案件中作为年轻律师证明了自己的能力。
Use spur naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
马刺（spur）像靴钉，刺激马也激励人。
通常用于马术（马刺）或激励含义，中性偏口语；铁路支线或植物学等专业用法则语域偏正式。
Words like fur, blur, purr, sir rhyme exactly with spur (all ending in /ɝr/). However, spurt and spurn look similar in spelling but differ in pronunciation (they end with /ɝrt/ and /ɝrn/ respectively).
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.