motivate
verb (used with object)
had motivated
-
past perfectof motivate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
The company said in the blog post that its core safety policy had motivated the company to develop stronger safeguards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
During the session, she faced a number of questions about why the three men had been considered eligible for release, and whether the crisis surrounding prison capacity had motivated their move to open prison.
From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026
Brown realized MOND's predictions might be at odds with the observations that had motivated the search for a ninth planet.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2023
The ambition to expand eastward had motivated Germany for some time.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
The courses seemed esoteric and disconnected from the race and poverty issues that had motivated me to consider the law in the first place.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
