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
Duncan, who now works in real estate, said neither riches nor malice motivated him and many others of his generation of urban explorers.
—
ABC News, 4 June 2026
Helix pitcher Lea Moya, who pitched the final three innings to earn the win, said the altercation motivated the Highlanders.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
Crenshaw concluded prosecutors failed to overcome evidence suggesting the case was motivated by retaliation after Abrego Garcia challenged his deportation in court.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 3 June 2026
The same love of equality and freedom that courses through the Declaration motivated her white great-grandmother to campaign for suffrage and her African American grandfather to found a chapter of the NAACP in the Jim Crow South.
—Michael Kazin, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivate
ABC News, 4 June 2026
Helix pitcher Lea Moya, who pitched the final three innings to earn the win, said the altercation motivated the Highlanders.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026
Crenshaw concluded prosecutors failed to overcome evidence suggesting the case was motivated by retaliation after Abrego Garcia challenged his deportation in court.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 3 June 2026
The same love of equality and freedom that courses through the Declaration motivated her white great-grandmother to campaign for suffrage and her African American grandfather to found a chapter of the NAACP in the Jim Crow South.
—Michael Kazin, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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While most college broadcast-journalism programs tend to encourage would-be talent to ditch their regional accents in favor of a more neutral, untraceable delivery, TV pros who came up in the bigs aren’t subject to that sort of verbal nullification.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 June 2026
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The event, called Fulfillment Center, was geared toward people of all ages who were encouraged to come, put their phone in a cotton bag and engage with one of the many activities centered around reading, writing, making and playing at a long, communal table.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The administration has persuaded several dozen countries to take in deportees who are not their own citizens, including African countries plagued by armed conflict, civil unrest and political turmoil, like South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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Pino’s attorneys were unsuccessful in persuading Tinkler Mendez to bar the claim from being mentioned in the trial.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The disparity has forced Goldman into the awkward position of defending a seat he’s held for two terms by running, at least in part, as the outsider.—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
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Firefighters battled a nearly 1,200-acre brush fire burning in a remote area near the Los Angeles-Kern County line that temporarily forced evacuation orders and warnings for people living nearby.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Verb
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But this disjointed medley, performed by Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty, offered little context for what is meant to be exciting or enticing about the show.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
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Starter Mason Cook enticed Deiten Lachance into a 6-4-3 double play that scored the run.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
Verb
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When reconstructing the Inquisition trial of a sixteenth-century northern Italian miller, historian Carlo Ginzburg encountered a line that would eventually inspire the title of his paradigm-shifting study The Cheese and the Worms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Though all eyes will be on North America, the national pride this event inspires – and the staggered start times that will allow fans watching back in their home countries to take in their teams during sort-of-normal hours – will stir incredible excitement and patriotism all around the world.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Performance benefits often persist even in habitual users, even if the stimulating feel-good buzz fades.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
11 June 2026
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Retinoids stimulate fibroblast cells to produce collagen, and this takes time.—
Ellie Davis,
Vogue,
11 June 2026
Verb
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That chased Lake Creek starter Tripp Riley, a sophomore, and Caden Whitworth came on in relief and promptly induced a double-play comebacker and a popout to center to end the inning.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2026
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Match play naturally induces fatigue and can disrupt sleep.—
Alan McCall,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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