motivate

verb

mo·​ti·​vate ˈmō-tə-ˌvāt 

motivated; motivating

transitive verb

1

: to give (someone) a reason for doing something

questions that excite and motivate youth

She was motivated by a desire to help children.

2

: to be a reason for something

said that money did not motivate their decision

motivative

ˈmō-tə-ˌvā-tiv 

adjective

Examples of motivate in a Sentence

No one knows what motivated him to act in such a violent way.

Recent Examples on the Web

Secondly, to think about all the artists and collectives that have been motivated by Soulection and have gone on to create their own businesses or have gone on to sign to agencies or get a manager. — Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

If the AIs want economic control eventually, but know that humans will resist along the way, they could be motivated to cement power faster. — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026

That feature motivated the actress to approach Novig about taking an equity stake in the company, said Jacob Fortinsky, the company’s co-founder. — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026

Skeptics of Proposition 40, the official name for the billionaire tax ballot measure, say that the measure could ultimately reduce tax revenue by motivating wealthy Californians to relocate and take their wealth with them. — Juhi Doshi, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for motivate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

motivate

verb

mo·​ti·​vate ˈmōt-ə-ˌvāt 

motivated; motivating

: to provide with a reason for doing something : induce

Medical Definition

motivate

transitive verb

mo·​ti·​vate ˈmōt-ə-ˌvāt 

motivated; motivating

: to provide with a motive or serve as a motive for

motivate patients to change unhealthy lifestyles

motivative

-ˌvāt-iv 

adjective