motivate

verb

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mo·ti·vate | \ ˈmō-tə-ˌvāt

motivated; motivating

Definition of motivate

transitive verb

: to provide with a motive : impel questions that excite and motivate youth She was motivated by a desire to help children.

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Examples of motivate in a Sentence

No one knows what motivated him to act in such a violent way.

Recent Examples on the Web According to co-founder Arman Oganesyan, religious practice didn’t motivate the decision — to the four Dave’s founders, the halal tenders were simply a better product. — oregonlive, 17 May 2022 Speakers Tuesday worked to encourage and motivate the crowd, with one rabbi reminding them of the core Jewish narrative of leaving and rejecting the values of Egypt and experiencing a long period in the desert. — Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 17 May 2022 But the court’s decision may also motivate Republican voters. — Grace Segers, The New Republic, 17 May 2022 According to co-founder Arman Oganesyan, religious practice didn’t motivate the decision — to the four Dave’s founders, the halal tenders were simply a better product. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2022 So if idealism doesn’t motivate you, but legal compliance does, digital accessibility is, again, a no-brainer. — Eamon Mcerlean, Forbes, 6 May 2022 The resulting market bifurcation would then motivate more independent entrepreneurs to launch unique models like Auto Spa Bistro to compete. — Mike Jordan, WSJ, 26 Apr. 2022 If the Biden administration commits to buying future barrels of oil to refill the strategic reserve while prices remain high, then that will motivate oil producers to further increase supply, which could bring down prices longer term. — Nate Dicamillo, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2022 The prospect of that kind of increase could motivate additional attempts to organize the company's workers. — The Week Staff, The Week, 9 Apr. 2022 See More

These 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.