as in to encourage
to rouse to action or activity
The presence of treats motivated the dogs to obey their owner's commands. They drove a campaign to motivate voters to show up to the polls.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of motivate
Blorian said Sporting’s current last-place standing is motivating and a welcome challenge to bring the club back up.
—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 2026
The administration cast Anthropic — long a backer of government oversight of AI — as ideologically motivated.
—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
The creation of the Miami 21 code was motivated in part by a public outcry over a problem fostered by the previous code — tall towers being built directly next to single-family homes or duplexes.
—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
Intrinsic rewards, like a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie, can often motivate more than financial incentives.
—
Robert Hogeboom,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 2026
The administration cast Anthropic — long a backer of government oversight of AI — as ideologically motivated.
—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
The creation of the Miami 21 code was motivated in part by a public outcry over a problem fostered by the previous code — tall towers being built directly next to single-family homes or duplexes.
—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
Intrinsic rewards, like a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie, can often motivate more than financial incentives.
—
Robert Hogeboom,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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Valentine also testified that the FDA encourages infant formula companies to send in all adverse event reports and that nothing prevented Mead Johnson from doing so.
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Going forward, the city will encourage data center developers to submit an application for a special use district, meaning the site would specifically be used for a data center, nothing else.
Verb
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Since Mary Grace’s death, her parents have poured their energy into persuading lawmakers to make camps safer by banning cabins in active flood plains, mandating 24-7 weather monitoring and requiring rigorous annual evacuation training.
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Marketing and communications professionals rely on language to inform, persuade and connect with audiences.
Verb
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Extreme heat has forced several communities in the Washington area to cancel or scale back their Independence Day celebrations.
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The Kings forced 20 turnovers, leading to a 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
Verb
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Some supplements and chews are offered in different flavors to better entice your dog.
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That subscription data, entertainment, and safety service offers complementary base services, but owners are enticed to upgrade for premium services.
Verb
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Last night’s rude wakeup call inspires you to make some changes today!
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These 15 mountain towns in California offer contemporary amenities amid the beautiful landscapes that inspired one of nature’s most fervent champions.
Verb
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The formula includes collagen-stimulating copper peptides and Matrixyl 3000 (a gentle retinol alternative) to quite-literally make the skin age in reverse.
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The process involved suctioning the newborn's airway and stimulating him.
Verb
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Earlier, engineers had to choose between slow, high-resolution systems impacted by heavy, lag-inducing computational pipelines or fast, real-time systems that sacrificed vital spatial accuracy.
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That whiplash-inducing sum covers multi-day arena rental, top-tier security, and several headline performers.
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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