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
Phillips’ contract status might also motivate the Dolphins to move the former University of Miami standout for a draft pick.
—
Omar Kelly
updated October 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
That’s the guiding principle that motivates the work and advocacy of Nir Barzilai, a longevity researcher and president of the Academy for Health & Lifespan Research.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
He was motivated by his mom, who also sings and performs at parties doing tributes to stars like Gloria Trevi.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2025
This gap, according to the study, indicates a change in consumer behavior motivated by politics rather than the availability of different EVs or Tesla failing to bring out new products in recent years (apart from the polarizing and poorly selling Cybertruck, that is).
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Omar Kelly
updated October 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
That’s the guiding principle that motivates the work and advocacy of Nir Barzilai, a longevity researcher and president of the Academy for Health & Lifespan Research.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
He was motivated by his mom, who also sings and performs at parties doing tributes to stars like Gloria Trevi.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 30 Oct. 2025
This gap, according to the study, indicates a change in consumer behavior motivated by politics rather than the availability of different EVs or Tesla failing to bring out new products in recent years (apart from the polarizing and poorly selling Cybertruck, that is).
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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Instead of scrolling through Instagram—or, admittedly, hitting the snooze button a few too many times—Vig encourages you to spend that time sprucing up your space.—
Kelsey Mulvey,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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Police are encouraging anyone with knowledge of the crash to come forward with further details.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 1865, the Vatican News said, university professor Vincenzo Pepe persuaded Longo to ditch satanism.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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All's Fair, attempting to persuade costar Sarah Paulson that Aldrin didn't actually land on the moon.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto shut the door, forcing a game-ending double play and earning his third win of the series.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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Rojas, a light-hitting infielder, hit an unexpected home run in the ninth inning of Game Seven to tie it and force extra innings, when the Dodgers won it.—
Steve Futterman,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Africa’s leading banking groups are targeting DR Congo, enticed by one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies and the promise of a lucrative mining sector, despite the ongoing conflict in the country’s east.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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There were questions swirling over whether Nintendo’s Switch 2 would be different enough from its predecessor to entice users.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Its success inspired a wave of canal building in other states, although the economic benefit of these other canals is dubious in retrospect.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Oct. 2025
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The aftermath of that crash inspired her branch of the Brown family tree to reshape the Louisville medical scene.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The effect remained strong even when cells were stimulated with TGFβ, a major fibrosis-triggering molecule.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Oct. 2025
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The third-quarter data — which indicates an unexpected economic resiliency — comes ahead of the European Central Bank's next monetary policy decision, due later Thursday, and removes any immediate pressure on the central bank to cut rates to stimulate the economy.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 2025 postseason, which ended when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th inning of the seventh game of an ulcer-inducing World Series, stands with any in baseball history.—
Steve Rushin,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
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This results in a predictably dread-inducing sequence in which Teddy rushes to his mother's long-term care facility and feeds antifreeze into her IV line, killing her.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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