Meanings
verb'spire (third-person singular simple present 'spires, present participle 'spiring, simple past and past participle 'spired)
present singular third person 'spires · participle present 'spiring · participle past 'spired · past 'spired
- dialectalinformalApheretic form of inspire.
One old fellow name John been a run-awayer for four years and de patterrollers tries all dey tricks, but dey can't cotch him. Dey wants him bad, 'cause it 'spire other slaves to run away if he stays a-loose.
1941, Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves, volume 16, Washington, DC: Library of Congress, →OCLC, page 248
Cite this entry
APA
'spire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/'spire
MLA
“'spire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/'spire. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “'spire,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/'spire.
Source: 'spire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.