ulterior motive
noun
a secret reason for doing something; a purpose, often the main purpose, that is kept hidden.
ulterior motives
-
pluralof ulterior motive.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
They certainly seem sincere, but some investors suspected ulterior motives when CEOs were so quick to consider tapping the brakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Anybody making a financial pitch to you out of the blue likely has ulterior motives.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
However, he thinks Bondi’s deployment of the policy is for ulterior motives.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
But Kenya defended its role, stating that hosting the meetings was part of efforts to find solutions to end the war in Sudan "without any ulterior motives".
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2025
And she wonders why I think she has ulterior motives when she's being nice.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
