motivate
verb
mo·ti·vate
| \ ˈmō-tə-ˌvāt
\
\
motivated;
motivating
Definition of motivate
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Other Words from motivate
motivative
\ ˈmō-tə-ˌvā-tiv
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of motivate in a Sentence
No one knows what motivated him to act in such a violent way.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jones, who won all four of his era’s majors in the same calendar year, was an amateur motivated purely by a love for the game, and for competition. — Karen Crouse, New York Times, "Are the FedEx Cup Playoffs Rewarding the Wrong Players?," 22 Aug. 2019 Combine those great deeds with his stature in American pop culture—but specifically to black experience of the past quarter-century—and one wonders, if nothing changes, how this could be motivated by anything more than simple financial gain. — Jonathan Jones, SI.com, "The Sliver of Hope for Jay-Z’s NFL Ambitions," 21 Aug. 2019 Here are three parallels between the white supremacists of the lynching era -- roughly the late 19th century through the 1960s -- and today: There's a perception that lynch mobs were motivated by mindless violence. — John Blake, CNN, "Why El Paso and other recent attacks in the US are modern-day lynchings," 17 Aug. 2019 Thirteen immigrant advocacy and legal groups led by La Clínica de la Raza filed a separate lawsuit Friday in the same court, arguing the regulation was motivated by racial bias. — oregonlive.com, "Oregon among states suing over rule to block immigrants from public assistance," 16 Aug. 2019 Campbell hasn’t changed the plot or time period, and characters are motivated by the same destructive greed as ever, plagued by the same nagging humanity. — Nicole Blackwood, chicagotribune.com, "‘Murdering Macbeth’ reinvents Shakespeare for today, inviting new audiences to discover an old story," 15 Aug. 2019 Authorities suspect the shooting was motivated by a dispute on social media that involved negative remarks made about Garza’s associates deceased brothers, the complaint said. — Sarah Horner, Twin Cities, "Man charged with attempted murder in shooting that injured three in Maplewood, including two boys," 7 Aug. 2019 What motivated her to turn that art into a business? — Vanessa Lawrence, ELLE Decor, "With a Glorious New Exhibition, Designer Vera Neumann Gets Her Due," 5 Aug. 2019 The new art studio motivated her to experiment with her artwork. — Lyndi Mcnulty, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "An Eye for Art: Artist’s lifelong fascination with color brings power to her work," 31 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'motivate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for motivate
motivate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of motivate
: to give (someone) a reason for doing something
: to be a reason for (something)
See the full definition for motivate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
motivate
verb
mo·ti·vate
| \ ˈmō-tə-ˌvāt
\
\
motivated;
motivating
Kids Definition of motivate
: to give or be a reason for doing something
Prizes motivated him to join the contest.
motivate
transitive verb
mo·ti·vate
| \ ˈmōt-ə-ˌvāt
\
\
motivated;
motivating
Medical Definition of motivate
: to provide with a motive or serve as a motive for
motivate patients to change unhealthy lifestyles
Other Words from motivate
motivative
\ -ˌvāt-iv
\
adjective
\
adjective
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