Synonyms
Examples of motive in a Sentence
Jon Haworth, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
Indeed, one of Hamas’s motives in carrying out the October 7 attacks may well have been to create a situation in which Palestinians, most of whom did not previously support Hamas, are driven into its arms by Israel’s punitive actions.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2023
His killer was never caught, and the motive seemed to lie in some macabre interplay of politics and passion—the sort of fate that, in the American imagination, could only befall a foreigner.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023
Theories over a motive are also dissected on popular Reddit pages and TikTok accounts where the hashtag #IdahoMurderMystery has more than 207.2 million views.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2023
That motive still exists in the U.S.-China rivalry, but now both countries are working toward building an enduring presence on the moon and in cislunar space, the real estate between the moon and Earth.
—Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023
This does not explain the script or the motives of the actors.
—Dominic Green, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2023
Detectives are still trying to determine the motive and circumstances of the incident, Jarjura said.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2023
Malevolent actors can harness this unique feature to deliberately distribute content lacking in important context in the aim of pulling at emotional heartstrings to further their motives.
—Bychristiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2023
Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
Police have yet to announce suspects or motive in the crime.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023
He was not identified immediately, and no information was available about a suspect or motive.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
Some celebrated her separation from the dancer, questioning his character and motive, while others were more concerned with the singer’s well-being.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2023
Police continue to search for a suspect and motive, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.
—Michael Lee Simpson, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2023
There's no motive or known connection between Landon and Sylla, police and prosecutors have said.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 15 Sep. 2023
No information was available about any suspect or motive.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2023
Police were investigating a motive and potential suspects Monday.
—Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023
Dallas News, 18 May 2022
The coming together of both aspects of his game has also led him to become more vocal on the court, both to keep himself motivated and to motive others.
—oregonlive, 5 Aug. 2020
Defense attorneys tried to get those allegations blocked by the court, but U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan ruled the allegations were relevant to whether campaign money was spent illegally and spoke to motive and intent.
—Arkansas Online, 2 Dec. 2019
Police did not immediately offer information as to motive or suspect description.
—Keri Blakinger, Houston Chronicle, 21 Jan. 2018
Of course, with all reports like this, speculation as to motive for such stories must be questioned.
—Mark Heim, AL.com, 12 Oct. 2017
My photography is first and foremost a catalyst or reason to motive human action.
—Olivier Laurent, Time, 30 June 2017
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'motive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French motif, motive, from motif, adjective, moving, from Medieval Latin motivus, from Latin motus, past participle of movēre to move
Adjective
Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French motif, from Medieval Latin motivus
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1657, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing motive
Dictionary Entries Near motive
Cite this Entry
“Motive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motive. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
Medical Definition
motive
noun
Legal Definition
motive
nounNote: Motive is distinguished from intent or mens rea. Although motive is not an element of a crime, evidence of motive can be introduced to help establish intent.
Noun
Anglo-French motif, from Middle French motif adjective, moving, from Medieval Latin motivus, from Latin motus, past participle of movēre to move
More from Merriam-Webster on motive
Nglish: Translation of motive for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of motive for Arabic Speakers
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