motivate

American  

[moh-tuh-veyt] / ˈmoʊ təˌveɪt /

verb (used with object)

motivates, present (3rd person singular) motivated, past participle, past motivating present participle

1. to provide with a motive, or a cause or reason to act; incite; impel.

   Synonyms:

   cause, prompt, provoke, move, induce

---

motivate British  

/ ˈməʊtɪˌveɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to give incentive to

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• motivator
  noun
• nonmotivated
  adjective
• unmotivated
  adjective
• unmotivating
  adjective
• well-motivated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• motivating
  present
• motivated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• motivate
  simple
• motivates
  simple
• have motivated
  perfect
• has motivated
  perfect
• am motivating
  progressive
• are motivating
  progressive
• is motivating
  progressive
• have been motivating
  perfect progressive
• has been motivating
  perfect progressive

Past

• motivated
  simple
• had motivated
  perfect
• was motivating
  progressive
• were motivating
  progressive
• had been motivating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will motivate
  simple
• will have motivated
  perfect
• will be motivating
  progressive
• will have been motivating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of motivate

First recorded in 1860–65; motive + -ate ¹

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.

Related Words

• drive
• excite
• galvanize
• incline
• inspire
• persuade
• prompt
• propel
• provoke
• spark
• spur
• sway
• trigger