motivate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of motivate
Explanation
To give someone the incentive to act in a certain way is to motivate that person. If you give your dad a food-processor for his birthday, you might motivate him to help out with the cooking. The verb motivate means to prompt or incite. By giving speeches on college campuses across the country, John F. Kennedy motivated a lot of young people to join the Peace Corps in the early 1960s. People are not always motivated in positive ways, however. When a crime is described as racially motivated, it means the perpetrators picked their victim because of the color of his skin.
Vocabulary lists containing motivate
List 5
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Investors apparently landed on the conclusion that the tariffs would motivate smaller economies to become less reliant on the U.S. market.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
Then there was the Hollywood fear factor to motivate him.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
“The shutdown will add pressure and motivate the negotiations,” Vakil said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Though instead of speaking to thousands of young people to motivate them into getting involved, the crowd featured mostly older people.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026
“The paper will serve as my insurance should I fall into rebel hands again. It will motivate you and our friends to do everything possible to secure my release.”
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
