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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Recent Examples of motivate
Amid June Slump Rodriguez's strange claim may have been motivated by his own struggles with the Hall of Fame.
—
Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
The decision is motivated by the author’s hateful politics.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 June 2025
In other words, anger can motivate advocacy, volunteering, and activism.
—Juli Fraga, CNBC, 27 June 2025
She was motivated to get stronger and do incredible things with her body.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
The decision is motivated by the author’s hateful politics.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 June 2025
In other words, anger can motivate advocacy, volunteering, and activism.
—Juli Fraga, CNBC, 27 June 2025
She was motivated to get stronger and do incredible things with her body.
—Jordan Greene, People.com, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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Popular online influencers with millions of followers have encouraged Holocaust denial.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
30 June 2025
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The bills’ sponsors and advocates are encouraged by the bipartisan support received so far.—
Lauren Jessop,
The Washington Examiner,
30 June 2025
Verb
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As the relationship between the young couple became more serious, Sarah’s parents tried to show him the best of Kansas City in the hopes that Yaron — who grew up in Germany and Israel — might be persuaded to stay in the US.—
Wolf Blitzer,
CNN Money,
29 June 2025
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Even with that new path looming, though, his father, Ignacio, persuaded him to attend one last tryout in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo that would be scouted by all 30 MLB teams.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The shutdowns have caused significant disruptions to regional air traffic and forced airlines to reroute flights.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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Damaging Iran’s nuclear facilities, decapitating its leadership structure, and repeatedly disrupting its enrichment efforts forces Tehran into a permanent state of caution.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Each tune has its own momentum, with several of them enticing audiences and exciting them for his sophomore album American Heart, which arrives tomorrow (Friday, June 20).—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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Netflix may entice its subscribers to chill, but the global streamer is working on new offerings and deals to future-proof its content lineup and business.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Instead, the character inspired by her own love story is played by Hacks star Megan Stalter, with a cast of up-and-comers rounding out the ensemble of the Netflix comedy-drama that’s sure to generate plenty of conversation.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
1 July 2025
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Sánchez wore a custom wedding dress by Dolce & Gabbana inspired by classic 1950s bridal fashion.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
1 July 2025
Verb
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The Cancer new moon stimulates your visionary capacities.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
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In fact, scientists say today's children are exposed to far fewer antigens—the components that stimulate immune responses—than their grandparents were, despite receiving more immunizations overall.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Kershaw induced Colorado into nine outs via groundballs.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
26 June 2025
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Recurring blood sugar spikes can repeatedly stimulate insulin production in the body and induce insulin resistance.—
Angelica Bottaro,
Verywell Health,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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