motivate
Americanverb (used with object)
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motivates,
present (3rd person singular)
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motivated,
past participle, past
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motivating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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motivatornoun
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demotivateverb (used with object)
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remotivateverb (used with object)
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nonmotivatedadjective
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unmotivatedadjective
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unmotivatingadjective
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well-motivatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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motivatesimple
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motivatessimple
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have motivatedperfect
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has motivatedperfect
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am motivatingprogressive
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are motivatingprogressive
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is motivatingprogressive
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have been motivatingperfect progressive
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has been motivatingperfect progressive
Past
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motivatedsimple
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had motivatedperfect
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was motivatingprogressive
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were motivatingprogressive
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had been motivatingperfect progressive
Future
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
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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.
See Examples For:
“Buyers are getting savvier,” Schwartz said, and they know what type of offers can motivate a seller.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
But playing four tournaments after the US Open, having previously admitted it is really only the Grand Slams which motivate him, suggests he is ready to tackle the 2027 season head-on.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
A Trade Desk spokesman said repricing was “a more disciplined choice than issuing new awards” and was intended to motivate employees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
"If people think the Met is indispensable, it might motivate them to help us."
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
Still, I stood and started my jumping jacks, following Mitch’s morning warm-up routine even though he wasn’t there to motivate me.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
It also allows managers to spend more time on what they’re uniquely qualified to do, while creating an environment that motivates employees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“And if it hurts, hopefully it motivates those who are in power to make sure that when these things come to light, they put a stop to it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
This link between thinking and doing serves a clear function – it motivates us to get the necessities for life.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Princess Mononoke” proves that sometimes losing too much motivates us to help nature to regain some ground.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Though the pedants are mistaken in insisting that than and as may only be conjunctions, the tree-thinking that motivates their judgment is sound.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
One possible explanation is that seeing evidence of disease in their own arteries makes patients more motivated to take preventive medication.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Attendees came from all over Texas and were motivated far more by Pulido’s celebrity than his candidacy.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
"It is not possible to think that one will play 60 games and the other none," he said, underlining the need to keep his squad involved and motivated.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Some have been motivated to discover a lost heritage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
They have all motivated me to go above and beyond everyone’s expectations.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
For others, the fear of waking up hungry during the night is also a motivating factor, while habit plays a role too.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
At campaign events in the Rio Grande Valley in September, several voters cited Hinojosa’s identity and approach to politics as a motivating factor.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
In particular, he writes, Capra excelled at motivating great performances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
During the COVID-19 pandemic years, central banks brought interest rates close to zero, motivating companies to issue long-term bonds with relatively low yields, such as Apple’s 2.55% bond, which matures in 2060.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Writing empowered European societies by facilitating political administration and economic exchanges, motivating and guiding exploration and conquest, and making available a range of information and human experience extending into remote places and times.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
