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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of motivate
There’s something really, really motivating about that—and really attractive as well.
—
Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 5 June 2025
Trump suggested that Musk’s opposition was motivated by the fact that the legislation removes an electric vehicle mandate, which provided subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 June 2025
Investigators determined that White was motivated by a political dispute rather than anti-gay animus.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
Film incentives are essentially tax credits that motivate film and television productions to work in certain states.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 5 June 2025
Trump suggested that Musk’s opposition was motivated by the fact that the legislation removes an electric vehicle mandate, which provided subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 June 2025
Investigators determined that White was motivated by a political dispute rather than anti-gay animus.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 4 June 2025
Film incentives are essentially tax credits that motivate film and television productions to work in certain states.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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Co-creation fosters buy-in from the team, encourages experimentation, and leads to more sustainable implementation.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
-
In order to protect his brother, Gi-jun encouraged Ju-woon and Bong-san to stage a coup.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Jonathan Ernst | Reuters European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen managed to persuade the president to give talks more time but, as things stand, the EU has until July 9 to reach a deal with Washington.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
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Be on alert for phishing scams – Fraudsters regularly send emails that appear to be from a reputable source in order to persuade individuals to provide valuable personal information, such as access codes, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, account numbers, etc.—
Rick Unser,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Whether that’s a trial site, a community center or the patient’s workplace, this model removes friction from both ends: Participants aren’t forced to travel, and sponsors don’t have to wait for overwhelmed sites to come online.—
Sonali Bloom,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Despite Anna’s meticulous preparations, her intent to force confessions from the passengers and deliver them directly to authorities is immediately derailed when just hours into the trip one of her guests is murdered.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2025
Verb
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Working in recognizable horror subgenres, Byrne entices you with a familiar premise and then slowly teases apart the tropes, leaving you unsettled but also invigorated by his inventiveness.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 June 2025
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This wine entices with blackberry, plum, allspice and vanilla with smooth tannins and a bright acidity.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Hong Kong’s relentless pace has inspired a wellness revolution where ancient rituals meet cutting-edge science.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
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However, it’s inspired a trend that has been adopted by some of soccer’s biggest names — and sometimes, champagne isn’t even involved.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
8 June 2025
Verb
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Just like weight-bearing exercises, the vibrations stimulate osteocytes, which send signals to the two other types of bone cells–osteoblasts and osteoclasts–to create new bone matter and recycle the old.—
Jia H. Jung,
Mercury News,
4 June 2025
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The electrode stimulates the nerve, opening the airway by moving the tongue forward.1 Hypoglossal nerve stimulation surgery can effectively resolve snoring for some.—
Sukaina Hasnie,
Verywell Health,
4 June 2025
Verb
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After a nine-pitch battle with Harrison Bader, Springs induced a weak grounder up the middle, fielded it cleanly and threw to first to end the frame.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
5 June 2025
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On inducing it in a skin tumor, cis-urocanic acid can acidify the tumor and kill those cells.—
Jay Kakade
June 03,
New Atlas,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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