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
Aries season motivates your discipline.
—
Usa Today, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Know that a leader is someone who listens well and who motivates others toward greatness.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
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
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
Usa Today, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Know that a leader is someone who listens well and who motivates others toward greatness.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivates
Verb
-
Haller encourages anyone with an early or strong family history of colon cancer to talk to their doctor and get screened even earlier.—
Emily McLeod,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
As Adam reenters the dating world, his sister encourages him to view it as a fresh start, and scenic designer Milo Bue visually evokes the idea of a blank slate by employing off-whites and greys for Adam’s studio apartment in New York City.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 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
-
The owners will be pushing for a salary cap, and the players for some sort of mechanism that forces the bottom-end teams to spend more, like a salary floor.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
-
When the 25-day storage wall forces a pipeline to stop, the system begins to degrade immediately.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The confidence heuristic explains why certainty persuades us.—
Nick Dothée,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
-
But then a mysterious Romany woman (Rebecca Ferguson) turns up, and persuades him to return to Birmingham, in order to bring his violent illegitimate son (Barry Keoghan) – who now runs his Peaky Blinders mob – to heel.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
24 Mar. 2026
-
If such talk inspires you, there will be plenty of it.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Belber said the event traditionally stimulates the local economy, bringing visitors into hotels, bars, restaurants and retail shops, not to mention the prestige of highlighting the city of Albany in a tournament that draws international broadcast viewers.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Cumin stimulates the production of digestive enzymes, which can relieve bloating and diarrhea.—
Sheah Rarback,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The dramedy examines the power (im)balances between spouses after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The freshman induces a double play, and although Louisiana challenges the out at first base, the call stands.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At work, Paige (Elle Chapman) punches a coworker who provokes her with truly unkind remarks about her father's death.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
21 Mar. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Motivates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivates. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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