Meaning
Done spontaneously, on impulse, without any prior planning or preparation.
It can describe an exciting, adventurous decision or an impulsive one that later proves regrettable, depending on context.
Origin
The image comes from horseback riding: a spur is a small spiked device worn on a rider’s boot heel, used to press or jab a horse’s side to make it move forward instantly, without hesitation. Applying that image to a person’s decision captures the same sense of an immediate, unhesitating start, as though prompted into action by a sudden, sharp impulse rather than a deliberate plan. Riding with spurs was common practice across many equestrian cultures for centuries, and the figurative use of “spur” for any sudden prompt or incentive (as in “spur someone into action”) appears in English well before the specific phrase “on the spur of the moment” became standardized as a single fixed idiom.
Examples
We decided on the spur of the moment to drive to the coast for the weekend.
He bought the guitar on the spur of the moment and never looked back.
The trip wasn’t planned; it was completely on the spur of the moment.
A: Why did you cut your hair so short? B: Honestly, it was on the spur of the moment.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'On the spur of the moment' mean?
Done spontaneously, on impulse, without any prior planning or preparation.
It can describe an exciting, adventurous decision or an impulsive one that later proves regrettable, depending on context.