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:
Some employers are likewise using breaks for gameplay as incentives to motivate workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Jones is not the only coach to have used geese to motivate his players.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
If you want to motivate quarterback Chris Fields III, doubt his skills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
"So to have that other person, whether it be an unofficial mentor or a peer inspire you and encourage you and motivate you is really, really important."
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
I had to motivate these kids to follow their dreams no matter their gender, race, religion.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
“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
Those were the words Contepomi used to describe how Messi's greatness as an athlete motivates his side.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
That motivates researchers to work on the most promising candidates, invest in large trials capable of changing medical practice, and drive clinical adoption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
“You have to think of who your character is, who her friends are, if she has a good relationship with her parents or not, what motivates her,” she says.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
In fact, Washington seemed to be sharing some of the concerns that motivated the move.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Saxony-Anhalt had the second highest number of far-right motivated criminal acts per inhabitant last year, according to police statistics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Neither do they appear motivated to acquire pieces that bear no relationship to each other besides the designation “masterpiece.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Karp said his warning was not commercially motivated.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Was he motivated by a promise of immunity, or was it a personal vendetta against Faraday?
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
We don’t know what was motivating the solo juror who wanted to send Clancy to jail rather than to a psychiatric hospital.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
If a client wants to buy, he tries to understand what’s motivating the desire.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
But financial concerns weren't the only motivating factor, LeadingAge's Erin Huppert said.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
“It’s never too late” can start to feel exhausting, rather than motivating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The reggaeton music coming from the pisa y corre is both incredibly irritating and unbelievably catchy and motivating as I run.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
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.
