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
This is what motivated me to start a skin blog, Woke Within Skin, aimed at helping Black people with eczema and expressing their voices.
—
Raelle Kennedy, Health, 12 May 2025
Sacramento police spokesperson Officer Allison Smith said Thursday no arrests have been made in this incident, and that it was initially categorized as vandalism possibly motivated by bias or hate.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 12 May 2025
The reality television star, who gives much of his time to advocating about mental health and substance addiction following his own experiences, opened up to PEOPLE about how becoming a parent has motivated his advocacy even more.
—Kayla Grant, People.com, 12 May 2025
Halpin said the program encourages students to attend college in the state, supports higher rates of employment in the state workforce and motivates students to give back to their universities once employed.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Raelle Kennedy, Health, 12 May 2025
Sacramento police spokesperson Officer Allison Smith said Thursday no arrests have been made in this incident, and that it was initially categorized as vandalism possibly motivated by bias or hate.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 12 May 2025
The reality television star, who gives much of his time to advocating about mental health and substance addiction following his own experiences, opened up to PEOPLE about how becoming a parent has motivated his advocacy even more.
—Kayla Grant, People.com, 12 May 2025
Halpin said the program encourages students to attend college in the state, supports higher rates of employment in the state workforce and motivates students to give back to their universities once employed.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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There is no fee to nominate and self-nominations are encouraged.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2025
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Attendees are encouraged to bring new or gently used early-reader children’s books.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
25 May 2025
Verb
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But when faced with high oil prices in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden flew to the Middle Eastern kingdom to persuade it to ramp up oil production.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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For Syria’s new government, this will be their opportunity to persuade the new administration to do business with a country coming out of a devastating 13-year civil war and mend ties with a leader who was once aligned with the Islamic State and al Qaeda.—
Chris Massaro,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2025
Verb
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Some have succeeded in slashing sales and forcing policy changes.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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Fans are forced to watch that terrifying accident all over again — knowing exactly what's about to happen.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
18 May 2025
Verb
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Will the new level of EV functionality even entice GM to end the ban of CarPlay in electrics?—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Google and eBay are ramping up technology to help brands and sellers entice consumers.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
14 May 2025
Verb
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The primary bedroom has upholstered moss-green suede walls and, a tribute to Mies van der Rohe, the iconic Chicago architect who inspired the design, a leathered stone accent wall behind the bed.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
15 May 2025
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The ocean-facing 156-seat restaurant, which includes an eight-seat sushi bar and 12-seat pagoda bar, serves signature dishes such as black cod with iso squid pasta and A5 Wagyu steak, as well as locally inspired dishes including lobster truffle tempura and beef kushiyaki skewers.—
Pamela Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2025
Verb
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These wildfires, while destructive, have also provided researchers with insights into giant sequoia ecology, revealing that moderate-severity burns can stimulate seed release and create favorable germination conditions.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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Muscles, heart rate, strength, motor control — and the brain — all are stimulated by exercise.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
23 May 2025
Verb
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In other words, melatonin doesn’t induce sleep so much as permit it.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
23 May 2025
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The lawsuit accuses YouTube of inducing Connolly into breaching the employment agreement.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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