stimulus
part of speech
noun (a stimulus, stimuli)
meaning for a pupil
1) A stimulus is something that causes a living thing to react, such as light, sound, heat or touch. tree →
2) A stimulus is something that encourages activity or growth, such as a reward or extra money. tree →
3) (money) A stimulus is money a government spends to help the economy grow, such as stimulus payments. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons on senses and the nervous system, a stimulus is detected by a sense organ and causes a response: touching something hot (stimulus) makes you pull your hand away (response). Plants respond to stimuli too: shoots grow towards light. Phrases: «stimulus and response», «respond to a stimulus», «a stimulus package».
examples
- A bright light is a stimulus that makes your pupils shrink. tree →
- The bell was a stimulus that made the dogs expect food. tree →
- Plants grow towards the stimulus of light. tree →
- Touching a hot pan is a stimulus; pulling your hand away is the response. tree →
- The prize was a stimulus to work harder. tree →
- The government gave a stimulus payment to families. tree →
- Different stimuli make us react in different ways. tree →
note
Plural: stimuli (said «STIM-you-lie»), not «stimuluses». Verb: stimulate. Do not confuse with «stimulant», which is a substance like caffeine that makes the body more active.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «stimulus» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.