as in encourages
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 motivates
Greed motivates a number of inappropriate behaviors.
—
John Moorlach, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
That human connection — a pushback against the faceless nature of a streamlined, online system — is what motivates Emhof to leave positive reviews.
—James Doubek, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
My faith teaches me to feed the hungry and motivates me to help those who are in need.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
What motivates him, besides the discerning women who exist to spoon-feed him the harsh truths of life?
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Reflect on what truly motivates you while Mercury and Jupiter align.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
All these cues are reminders of a source of reward, and that causes the release of dopamine in anticipation of pleasure, which motivates me into taking action.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
That’s what motivates Mikash on the court.
—Noah Poser, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
What motivates Honnold Those who’ve known Honnold since his early days at Granite Arch, such as Matt McCormick, know a bit about what motivates him.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 5 Feb. 2026
John Moorlach, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
That human connection — a pushback against the faceless nature of a streamlined, online system — is what motivates Emhof to leave positive reviews.
—James Doubek, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
My faith teaches me to feed the hungry and motivates me to help those who are in need.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
What motivates him, besides the discerning women who exist to spoon-feed him the harsh truths of life?
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Reflect on what truly motivates you while Mercury and Jupiter align.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
All these cues are reminders of a source of reward, and that causes the release of dopamine in anticipation of pleasure, which motivates me into taking action.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
That’s what motivates Mikash on the court.
—Noah Poser, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
What motivates Honnold Those who’ve known Honnold since his early days at Granite Arch, such as Matt McCormick, know a bit about what motivates him.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivates
Verb
-
Launched in 2020 after the 400th anniversary of the first African slaves arriving in Jamestown, Virginia, the decade-long initiative encourages people of African descent to visit or repatriate and reconnect with their heritage and culture.—
Melanie van Zyl,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Mar. 2026
-
But a general election that includes voices from across the spectrum and encourages candidates to build coalitions and draw support from everyone?—
Tom Charron,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Loot boxes in the crosshairs James alleges Valve entices players to pay for a chance to win a rare virtual item, and that those rare items can be traded for real money in accordance with their rarity.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Your starter entices with a spicy-tangy flavor, leading into the classic roasted chicken entree.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lee forces a foul call after a drive to the rim.—
American-Statesman staff,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
After hours of scrutiny, debate and amendments, the council voted 9-6 to approve a compromise resolution that forces the city to pursue those two tracks and bars consultants that recently assessed the building’s conditions bidding on contracts related to the project.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Carlo’s friend Rodrigo persuades him to take up the Flemish cause with Philip, leading to a sword-threatening confrontation.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
This leads us to another revelation of decoherence theory, the one that persuades me that Zurek’s theory now tells a complete story.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Paul’s decision about the practice inspires Gaby.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Another natural extract, from silk cotton tree flowers, stimulates the natural production of hyaluronic acid and helps water enter the skin cells.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Umami stimulates saliva secretion and helps with appetite.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Crews have been deployed to spray disinfectant on vehicles entering the exclusion zone to avoid any possible transfer of the highly-contagious viral disease that induces fever and blister-like sores in the mouth, drastically reduces milk production and leaves animals weakened.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
In theory, the charge of a thunderstorm above induces an opposite charge in the ground below.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
What is beauty if not precisely the property that provokes us to abandon all pretense of analytic remove in our desperation to draw closer?—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The aroma of coffee brewing reliably provokes desire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motivates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivates. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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