Examples of motivate in a Sentence
No one knows what motivated him to act in such a violent way.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mercenaries are defined as soldiers who are contracted by third parties unaffiliated with a nation’s armed forces and motivated primarily by private gain.
—
Rebecca Johns, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Her rats' playfulness motivated her and eased feeling of loneliness, while her cats' soothing weight on her chest calmed her anxiety.
—Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Schammann views the move as having been motivated more by politics than altruism, and as rooted in Merkel’s belief that Germany was better equipped than other nations to handle the crisis.
—Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
As the Supreme Court increasingly shows frustration with the overreach of lower court judges, the justices could be motivated to take up cases more quickly on matters where lower courts are ignoring their emergency docket orders, such as with the firing of independent agency heads.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rebecca Johns, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Her rats' playfulness motivated her and eased feeling of loneliness, while her cats' soothing weight on her chest calmed her anxiety.
—Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Schammann views the move as having been motivated more by politics than altruism, and as rooted in Merkel’s belief that Germany was better equipped than other nations to handle the crisis.
—Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
As the Supreme Court increasingly shows frustration with the overreach of lower court judges, the justices could be motivated to take up cases more quickly on matters where lower courts are ignoring their emergency docket orders, such as with the firing of independent agency heads.
—Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivate. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
motivate
verb
mo·ti·vate
ˈmōt-ə-ˌvāt 
motivated; motivating
: to provide with a reason for doing something : induce
Medical Definition
motivate
transitive verb
mo·ti·vate
ˈmōt-ə-ˌvāt
motivated; motivating
: to provide with a motive or serve as a motive for
motivate patients to change unhealthy lifestyles
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share