motivate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
motivatornoun
-
demotivateverb (used with object)
-
remotivateverb (used with object)
-
nonmotivatedadjective
-
unmotivatedadjective
-
unmotivatingadjective
-
well-motivatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
motivatesimple
-
motivatessimple
-
have motivatedperfect
-
has motivatedperfect
-
am motivatingprogressive
-
are motivatingprogressive
-
is motivatingprogressive
-
have been motivatingperfect progressive
-
has been motivatingperfect progressive
Past
-
motivatedsimple
-
had motivatedperfect
-
was motivatingprogressive
-
were motivatingprogressive
-
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
List 5
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
NAEP Test Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
It’s OK to feel those things, as long as you use it to motivate yourself.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
I wonder what he thinks might motivate people to serve, instead of coercing them, and he mentions raising salaries.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Instead of Gods like Poseidon and Zeus playing an integral role in the story, they are left as unseen forces that motivate the characters’ actions.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
In a nation that doesn't care much for soccer, vast crowds sang the cheesy, sunny song "Country Roads" to motivate their heroes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Occasionally find things that excite and motivate them and will take risks when others in power support them.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
"What motivates me is the game, it's scoring goals," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Princess Mononoke” proves that sometimes losing too much motivates us to help nature to regain some ground.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
A happy homeowner, Umansky holds, is the ultimate goal in his line of work, and the satisfaction that comes from helping clients is what motivates him to remain active as a real estate agent.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
This insight reminds me of a Lenten devotional piece by Jesuit Rick Ganz, who discloses what motivates repentance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 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
So, to help you stay motivated, my colleagues have curated some great recommendations to remind you that there’s still wonder and joy to be found in the world.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Prosecutors allege that Matar was motivated by a fatwa that Ayatollah Khomeini, then leader of Iran, issued in 1989 following Rushdie's depiction of a fictionalized Prophet Muhammad in his novel "The Satanic Verses."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
On her return to Wimbledon before her injury, Williams said in a personal essay she was motivated by motherhood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Bain, who lives in Cheshire and fosters children of varying ages, finds it tricky to keep them "motivated and entertained" for six weeks given their differing interests.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Written accounts of earlier expeditions motivated later ones, by describing the wealth and fertile lands awaiting the conquerors.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
But financial concerns weren't the only motivating factor, LeadingAge's Erin Huppert said.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Notably, the show didn’t hook viewers with sex or other salacious material but, rather, plausible portrayals of greed and motivating vindictiveness.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Bergstrom says money stopped motivating him years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
Higher charter rates for oil tankers are motivating owners to take the risk of entering the strait.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
Barack and I belonged to the same gym, run by a jovial and motivating athletic trainer named Cornell McClellan.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
