as in to encourage
to rouse to action or activity
The presence of treats motivated the dogs to obey their owner's commands. They drove a campaign to motivate voters to show up to the polls.
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Recent Examples of motivate
The Constitution endows Congress with the authority to do just that, if only the body could be motivated to act.
—
Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Luka’s policy change was motivated in part by regulatory pressure, especially in Italy, where officials worried that Replika posed a risk to minors and emotionally fragile users.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Saturn's energy will bring harsh realities into Aquarius' focus during the eclipse, which could motivate them to pursue financial freedom.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Luka’s policy change was motivated in part by regulatory pressure, especially in Italy, where officials worried that Replika posed a risk to minors and emotionally fragile users.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Saturn's energy will bring harsh realities into Aquarius' focus during the eclipse, which could motivate them to pursue financial freedom.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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In interviews, real estate lawyers said that mortgage lenders are typically well aware of their clients’ other loans and sometimes even encourage the primary-residence language for second homes.—
Robert Faturechi,
ProPublica,
6 Sep. 2025
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Participants are encouraged to bring sleeping bags and food.—
Lauren Costantino
September 6,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But much like Howard Jarvis feared, the tax-and-spend interests have sought to destroy Proposition 13 ever since, most recently by persuading courts to carve loopholes in its constitutional protections and invent new ways for government agencies to raise revenue.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
7 Sep. 2025
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Elizabeth Stage, whose Oakland hills home barely escaped the deadly 1991 firestorm, and whose work as president of the Oakland FireSafe Council involves persuading residents to adopt Zone 0 measures, said the study would be a helpful, persuasive tool.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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France’s government has collapsed after a vote of no confidence on Monday, forcing Prime Minister Francois Bayrou out of office after just nine months on the job.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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Quarterback Brock Purdy, who delivered a clutch, game-winning drive after throwing two interceptions, has a bad shoulder and toe that could force him to miss Week 2.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There are tons of enticing cold and hot drinks.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Sep. 2025
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Responding to the demand, and hoping to entice younger shoppers into their financial ecosystems, payment facilitators such as Cash App, the BNPL provider Klarna, the fintech bank Chime, and even American Express have recently launched their own debit cards.—
Michael Waters,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Zaldivar said in an age where more people are turning away from their faith, the declaration of the young saints is inspiring to many Catholics looking towards the future of the church.—
Lauren Costantino
September 6,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
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Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies came extremely close to being as epic as Mom’s, which inspired me to dive deeper into the archives to see if Barefoot Contessa had any other brilliant brownie recipes.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For the first part of the trial, Mowery spent 10 days in the hospital while doctors created a grid of more than 100 points on his head to try to find different circuits or certain activation for pain by watching and stimulating his brain.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
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Drinking coffee may stimulate an increase in acid production in the stomach.—
Carrie Madormo,
Verywell Health,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The anxiety-inducing thought of being left alone often causes dogs to plead with their owners.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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This typically leads to interconnected debt arrangements such that a default by a key market participant induces a cascade of defaults by other participants whose ability to cover their own debt obligations relied on parties who have defaulted.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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