How to Use motive in a Sentence

motive

1 of 2 noun

• She denied that her offer to help was based on selfish motives.
• Their motive in running away was to avoid being punished.
• I think he's guilty of the crime. He had the motive, the means, and the opportunity.
• This does not explain the script or the motives of the actors.
  — Dominic Green, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2023
• But to him, the questions of motive and merit seem beside the point.
  — Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2023
• Police didn’t give details on a motive or what led to the killing.
  — Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2024
• Police haven’t said whether there was a motive for the shooting.
  — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 24 Oct. 2023
• There were no details on the shooter’s motive or the weapon used in the incident.
  — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 6 Dec. 2023
• The motive may never be clear in this case, according to Finner.
  — Ashley R. Williams, Jeanne Bonner and Raja Razek, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024
• During a hearing on the bill, Jeter tried to undermine the motives behind the suit.
  — Tony Cook, ProPublica, 30 Jan. 2024
• Matute and the victims knew each other, but the motive for the shooting is unknown, police say.
  — Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2024
• Wilson said at the town hall that no motive has been determined.
  — Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
• It’s suspected the motives include warmer water to the south and better prey.
  — Mark Price, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
• That would clearly suggest a gift tax and estate planning motive for the trust.
  — Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
• Police are trying to determine if the victim may have known the suspect and what the motive is for the shooting.
  — Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
• Police on Thursday declined to name a motive in the attack.
  — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
• No motive behind the killing has yet been established, O’Boyle added.
  — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
• Redd said Soto acted alone and that police do not know his motive for the attacks.
  — Kathleen Foody, arkansasonline.com, 29 Mar. 2024
• Police did not say if there was a possible motive in LaPere’s death and have not said if the two knew each other.
  — Antonio Planas, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023
• Dave Aronberg: Sheila Keen-Warren had the means, the motive and the opportunity to do this.
  — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2023
• Police have not made arrests in the case and a motive for the shooting is currently unknown.
  — Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 21 July 2023
• At a news conference this week, the city’s police chief declined to provide a motive for the shooting.
  — Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023
• The circumstances and motive for the shooting were unclear, police said.
  — Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023
• Officials from the Barakat Gallery are struggling to understand the crime’s motive.
  — Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023
• The identity and motive of the thief who hit the Barakat Gallery around 3 a.m. on Monday remained a mystery Saturday.
  — Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
• But Mo and her ward quickly start to question Will’s motives, leading to a scorching standoff.
  — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 June 2023
• No motive is currently known for the attack but police have confirmed that the 12-year-old girl has been charged with one count of murder.
  — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
• Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the killing.
  — Louis Casiano, Fox News, 10 Aug. 2023
• The suspect is a 31-year-old of Syrian origin but a motive was unclear, police said.
  — Patrick Smith, NBC News, 8 June 2023
• There is a real motive for Israelis to find something better.
  — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2023

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motive

2 of 2 adjective

• The defense claimed Jeff had motive to kill his wife ...
  — CBS News, 19 Nov. 2022
• It is not known if there was a motive or intent behind the fire.
  — Salma Reyes, The Arizona Republic, 15 Oct. 2021
• Steve had motive to try to help the FBI, and decided to exploit Hamzeh to do so.
  — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 May 2022
• Cordero said the motive police have determined so far is that the suspect didn’t have a need for the dogs.
  — Kelli Smith, Dallas News, 9 Apr. 2021
• But Pappas says there was one person who was close to Jon and may well have had motive to kill him.
  — Richard Schlesinger, CBS News, 10 Oct. 2020
• This list can now provide a motive force for your efforts.
  — Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2020
• Police have yet to announce suspects or motive in the crime.
  — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023
• No motive or murder weapon has been identified so far in the killings.
  — Aditi Sangal, CNN, 30 Dec. 2022
• Other modes can add to or preserve the battery's state of charge or just let the system decide the motive mix.
  — Joe Lorio, Car and Driver, 6 June 2023
• Detectives have not motive or suspects in the killings.
  — Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com, 25 Oct. 2017
• There was little evidence to go on, no inkling of a motive and five people dead.
  — Chicago Tribune, 22 Sep. 2022
• But there are two obvious suspects—Russia and Ukraine—both of which have means and motive.
  — WIRED, 7 Aug. 2023
• With little to lose and so much to gain, the Hoosiers have both motive and means to create a chaotic environment.
  — Nathan Baird, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2023
• In remained unclear what, if any, motive Mr. Abdullah had for the killing.
  — New York Times, 24 May 2022
• As the output from the main generator is increased, the electric motor puts out a smooth flow of power; the more juice that goes in, the more motive force that comes out.
  — Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 29 Apr. 2023
• Police have not released a motive or potential profile of the killer.
  — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2022
• Dale’s absence and the threat of visitors in my home gave me motive and opportunity to clean.
  — Gayle Carline, Orange County Register, 20 Jan. 2017
• The motive and suspect or suspects are unknown, police said.
  — Antonio Planas, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2022
• The motive, exact time of the shooting and exact number of guns used in the shooting are still being determined, Norman said.
  — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 27 Jan. 2022
• The cause, motive, and perpetrators of the poisonings are unknown.
  — Peter Weber, The Week, 2 Mar. 2023
• That motive force gets routed to the wheels by way of a smooth-shifting nine-speed automatic transmission.
  — Andrew Krok, Car and Driver, 18 May 2023
• Police and Barrett have not discussed a motive publicly.
  — Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5 Oct. 2021
• His baby products help your baby to sleep, and his mirror motive line gives you the best looks and styles for your workouts and gym activities.
  — Dallas News, 24 Jan. 2023
• What if women were not just abstract objects to possess, but people with their own agency and motive force and career goals?
  — Vivian Shaw, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2020
• Still, with the gunman dead, questions remain about the motive and other circumstances of the shooting, as details of his troubled childhood come to light.
  — Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 26 May 2022
• Not motive has been announced and police are asking the public to call a hotline with any information.
  — Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 20 Oct. 2022
• No information on a motive or suspect is available at this time.
  — Olivia Mitchell, cleveland, 25 Dec. 2020
• The clarinet harks back to the descending four-note motive of the first movement and different speeds entangle the lines, with a return to the slow quarter note motive texture.
  — Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2023
• So, there’s no common demographic or motive for these mass killers.
  — Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2023
• It is often said that crime is where motive and means meets opportunity.
  — James Stavridis, The Economist, 21 Oct. 2020

Last Updated: 5 May 2024