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
Prosecutors told jurors at trial that Wei was motivated by greed and selfishness rather than political ideology.
—
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Every type of gardening helps the environment, no matter what motivates you to garden.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Jan. 2026
Revolutionary ideologies need not provide a precise future plan to unite and motivate their followers.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
The key, however, is to readjust how your brain gets rewards and deal with the stress that might motivate alcohol use, not just to try to cut back on drinking, Knowles said.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Every type of gardening helps the environment, no matter what motivates you to garden.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Jan. 2026
Revolutionary ideologies need not provide a precise future plan to unite and motivate their followers.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
The key, however, is to readjust how your brain gets rewards and deal with the stress that might motivate alcohol use, not just to try to cut back on drinking, Knowles said.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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The teeth also captured climate shifts such as the Late Antique Little Ice Age and the Medieval Climate Anomaly, which might have encouraged some increase in migration into England.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
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Those who experienced the earthquake are encouraged to report it via the USGS Felt Report form.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Based on that estimate, the board persuaded members to approve an $18,750 assessment per person.—
Chase Jordan
January 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
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Elphaba tries to persuade them not to, and stay and fight for their home.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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With temperatures climbing above freezing and sunny skies melting half the structure, they were forced to start over entirely.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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Twenty-two people — two civilians and 20 firefighters — were injured and thousands were forced to evacuate.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Similar to fellow Arsenal summer signing Eberechi Eze — another keen chess player — the assumption would be that the skills taken from the board game have helped Zubimendi be a step ahead in enticing and then bypassing opposition players.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The algorithm, the Reddit user claimed, would save the higher-paying orders for casual drivers to entice them to use the app.—
Lauren Wilson,
NBC news,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The unofficial holiday was originally inspired by an episode of Parks and Recreation back in 2010.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
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The chief storyteller behind the scenes at the B-Side Group restaurant is chef Hector González-Mora, who is leading the kitchen at the gastrocantina and mezcalería while crafting food inspired by the places where California and Mexican customs and traditions come together.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In addition to pure retinol, which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, this unique product features retinyl palmitate, an antioxidant-rich skin protectant, as well as retinyl acetate, a natural form of vitamin A that keeps pores clean while stimulating collagen production.—
Michelle Baricevic,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
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Standard lasers create powerful beams by bouncing light between microscopic mirrors to stimulate more light production; this new tool uses the same principle to amplify vibrations.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nike’s Mind franchise, featuring a mule and a sneaker with calm-inducing nodes, has come out of the gate hot by selling out wherever it’s been offered.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
12 Jan. 2026
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In a night full of pleasant surprises, tearful acceptance speeches and eye-roll-inducing moments, there was still a lot that audiences didn’t see on TV.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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