incentivize

American

[in-sen-ti-vahyz] / ɪnˈsɛn tɪˌvaɪz /

Also incent

verb (used with object)

incentivized, incentivizing

to give incentives to.

The government should incentivize the private sector to create jobs.

incentivize British

/ ɪnˈsɛntɪˌvaɪz /

verb

(tr)
1. to provide (someone) with a good reason for wanting to do something
  
  why not incentivize companies to relocate?
2. to promote (something) with a particular incentive
  
  an incentivized share option scheme

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of incentivize

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Explanation

To incentivize is to provide a reward or motivation for some action. Your teacher might incentivize the class by offering jelly beans to everyone who aces the next math quiz. Incentivize was first used in around 1970 as business jargon, and some still consider it to be annoying corporate lingo. It’s a legitimate word, though, made into a verb by adding -ize to incentive, which means "something that motivates or encourages." You might incentivize your dog to sit by giving her a treat every time she does it, or incentivize your brother to do your chores by offering him half your allowance as payment.

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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.

Tran would work to expand programs, such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, to incentivize developers to build more affordable units, and to provide direct mortgage relief and down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

“Firm compensation structures incentivize potentially good advisers to lead clients into bad structures,” said Noah Damsky, a Los Angeles-based chartered financial analyst.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

We’re talking about the sort of behaviors that the tariffs incentivized in people or didn’t incentivize.

From Slate • Apr. 22, 2026

Europe is luring them in with a variety of programs that incentivize emigration, such as the European Commission’s €1.25 billion “Choose Europe for Science” initiative.

From Barron's • Apr. 16, 2026

The league is ready to change the rules that incentivize teams to lose to secure draft picks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023