transitive verb
: to provide with a motive : impel
questions that excite and motivate youth
She was motivated by a desire to help children.
Example Sentences
No one knows what motivated him to act in such a violent way.
Recent Examples on the Web
Roy Bahat, the head of the venture firm Bloomberg Beta, said the crime could motivate the local tech community to become more involved in city politics.
—
Shawn Hubler, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2023
Wiener, who is gay and Jewish, is deeply familiar with the ire of people motivated by political conspiracies.
—Dustin Gardiner, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Apr. 2023
The drive to better his craft is what motivates the 6-foot-2 point guard.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2023
There could be concealed efforts or lone wolves motivated by incendiary messaging who will lash out, as was the case shortly before the Capitol was breached, when a pair of pipe bombs were found outside the nearby headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees.
—Alan Feuer, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Apr. 2023
Pictures of cracks in sidewalks or curbs that might not be clear to someone with vision impairment can motivate lawmakers to distribute funding at levels that meet the community’s needs, Watson said.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 2 Apr. 2023
Gamification: Institutional actions motivated by college/university rankings.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes, 1 Apr. 2023
What motivates the doctors, however, depends on the twin.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2023
Question: What has motivated MSC to invest resources in the U.S.?
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘motivate.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1836, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of motivate was
in 1836
Dictionary Entries Near motivate
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivate. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on motivate
Last Updated:
10 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
: provided with a motive : having an incentive or a strong desire to do well or succeed in some pursuit
Courses are being offered on college campuses for those who are highly motivated but who without such help often drop out and are lost to society and themselves.—Carol Kort
In a sporting context, for example, athletes who consistently seem to play hard and rarely concede defeat are often described as highly motivated or «competitive» by the media.—Robert C. Eklund
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Republicans denounced the charges as weak and politically motivated.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2023
Falling is an integral part of learning to ski, and realizing that falls happen to even expert skiers is an important realization to keep beginners interested and motivated to improve.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2023
So, both the Clippers and Warriors should be highly motivated to defeat the Blazers. 2.
—Afentres, oregonlive, 8 Apr. 2023
Pay attention to dreams and get enough sleep Both figuratively and literally, McGarey has paid attention to her dreams throughout her life and used them to calm her brain and stay motivated.
—Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 8 Apr. 2023
Even motivated patients would struggle to be heard.
—Alex R. Rosenblat, STAT, 7 Apr. 2023
Jones, Pearson and Johnson decried the Republicans’ actions as oppressive, vindictive and racially motivated.
—Kelly Mccleary, CNN, 7 Apr. 2023
Stay motivated because the view 2,619 feet above sea level is worth it! 9 Conquer a World Record-Breaking Climbing Wall in Reno, Tahoe.
—James Barrett, Men’s Health, 6 Apr. 2023
Coming in off three days’ rest, the Clippers opened the game with a 23-11 run in which a clearly motivated Westbrook scored eight points and assisted on their first two baskets.
—Beth Harris, ajc, 6 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘motivated.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1903, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of motivated was
in 1903
Dictionary Entries Near motivated
Cite this Entry
“Motivated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivated. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on motivated
Last Updated:
11 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences
Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Merriam-Webster unabridged
- motivate
- ˈməutɪveɪt гл.
1) побуждать, принуждать (to) Syn : motive, impel, move, prod, prompt Ant : inhibit, prevent, quell, subdue
2) служить мотивом, причиной;
оправдывать Syn : justify
3) мотивировать Syn : motive
побуждать — he was *d only by his wish to help me им двигало /руководило/ только одно желание — помочь мне — *d staff штат сотрудников-энтузиастов — he is highly *d у него есть сильный стимул — he is insufficiently *d ему не хватает стимула часто pass мотивировать, правдоподобно объяснять — this murder was *d by hatred это убийство вызвано ненавистью
motivate = motive ~ мотивировать ~ побуждать ~ правдоподобно объяснять
motivate = motive motive: motive: ~ n motive: ~ n ~ = motif ~ двигательный ~ движущий;
motive power (или force) движущая сила;
энергия ~ движущий ~ движущийся ~ мотив ~ (преим. pass.) мотивировать ~ мотивировать ~ основание ~ побудительная причина ~ побуждать ~ побуждение ~ повод, мотив, побуждение;
driving motive движущая сила ~ повод ~ служить мотивом ~ служить мотивом или причиной ~ служить причиной ~ стимул
Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь.
2001.
Полезное
Смотреть что такое «motivate» в других словарях:
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motivate — mo‧ti‧vate [ˈməʊtveɪt ǁ ˈmoʊ ] verb [transitive] 1. HUMAN RESOURCES to encourage someone and make them want to work hard: • The profit sharing plan is designed to motivate the staff. motivate somebody to do something • The project manager may… … Financial and business terms
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motivate — motivate, motivation Motivation has a special meaning in psychology which the OED defines as ‘the conscious or unconscious stimulus for action towards a desired goal especially as resulting from psychological or social factors; the factors giving … Modern English usage
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Motivate — Mo ti*vate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. { vated}; p. pr. & vb. n. { vating}.] [From {Motive}, n.] To provide with a motive; to move; impel; induce; incite. {Mo ti*va tion}, n. William James. Syn: move, prompt, incite, induce impel, drive. [Webster 1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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motivate — I verb activate, actuate, adjure, advise, affect, allure, animate, appeal, arouse desire, attract, captivate, carry weight, cause, challenge, charge, command, compel, convince, direct, draw, encourage, exert influence, exhort, fill with longing,… … Law dictionary
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motivate — (v.) 1863, to stimulate toward action, from MOTIVE (Cf. motive) + ATE (Cf. ate) (2); perhaps modeled on Fr. motiver or Ger. motivieren. Related: Motivated; motivating … Etymology dictionary
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motivate — actuate, *activate Analogous words: stimulate, quicken, *provoke, excite: arouse, rouse, *stir: inspire, animate, fire, *inform … New Dictionary of Synonyms
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motivate — [v] stimulate, instigate actuate, arouse, bring, cause, dispose, draw, drive, egg on*, excite, fire, galvanize, give incentive, goad, goose*, impel, incite, incline, induce, innervate, innerve, inspire, inspirit, lead, move, persuade, pique,… … New thesaurus
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motivate — ► VERB 1) provide with a motive for doing something. 2) stimulate the interest of. DERIVATIVES motivator noun … English terms dictionary
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motivate — [mōt′ə vāt΄] vt. motivated, motivating to provide with, or affect as, a motive or motives; incite or impel motivation n. motivational adj. motivative adj. motivator n … English World dictionary
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motivate */*/ — UK [ˈməʊtɪveɪt] / US [ˈmoʊtɪˌveɪt] verb [transitive] Word forms motivate : present tense I/you/we/they motivate he/she/it motivates present participle motivating past tense motivated past participle motivated 1) to make someone feel determined to … English dictionary
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motivate — mo|ti|vate [ˈməutıveıt US ˈmou ] v [T] 1.) to be the reason why someone does something = ↑drive ▪ Would you say that he was motivated solely by a desire for power? motivate sb to do sth ▪ We may never know what motivated him to kill his wife. 2.) … Dictionary of contemporary English
mo·ti·vate
(mō′tə-vāt′)
tr.v. mo·ti·vat·ed, mo·ti·vat·ing, mo·ti·vates
1. To provide with an incentive or a reason for doing something; impel: What motivated you to get a new job? Their criticism is motivated by jealousy.
2. To cause to be enthusiastic: The coach motivated his players with an inspiring pep talk.
mo′ti·va′tor n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
motivate
(ˈməʊtɪˌveɪt)
vb
(tr) to give incentive to
ˈmotiˌvator n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
mo•ti•vate
(ˈmoʊ təˌveɪt)
v.t. -vat•ed, -vat•ing.
to provide with a motive or motives; incite; impel.
[1860–65]
mo′ti•va`tor, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
motivate
Past participle: motivated
Gerund: motivating
| Imperative |
|---|
| motivate |
| motivate |
| Present |
|---|
| I motivate |
| you motivate |
| he/she/it motivates |
| we motivate |
| you motivate |
| they motivate |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I motivated |
| you motivated |
| he/she/it motivated |
| we motivated |
| you motivated |
| they motivated |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am motivating |
| you are motivating |
| he/she/it is motivating |
| we are motivating |
| you are motivating |
| they are motivating |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have motivated |
| you have motivated |
| he/she/it has motivated |
| we have motivated |
| you have motivated |
| they have motivated |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was motivating |
| you were motivating |
| he/she/it was motivating |
| we were motivating |
| you were motivating |
| they were motivating |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had motivated |
| you had motivated |
| he/she/it had motivated |
| we had motivated |
| you had motivated |
| they had motivated |
| Future |
|---|
| I will motivate |
| you will motivate |
| he/she/it will motivate |
| we will motivate |
| you will motivate |
| they will motivate |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have motivated |
| you will have motivated |
| he/she/it will have motivated |
| we will have motivated |
| you will have motivated |
| they will have motivated |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be motivating |
| you will be motivating |
| he/she/it will be motivating |
| we will be motivating |
| you will be motivating |
| they will be motivating |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been motivating |
| you have been motivating |
| he/she/it has been motivating |
| we have been motivating |
| you have been motivating |
| they have been motivating |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been motivating |
| you will have been motivating |
| he/she/it will have been motivating |
| we will have been motivating |
| you will have been motivating |
| they will have been motivating |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been motivating |
| you had been motivating |
| he/she/it had been motivating |
| we had been motivating |
| you had been motivating |
| they had been motivating |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would motivate |
| you would motivate |
| he/she/it would motivate |
| we would motivate |
| you would motivate |
| they would motivate |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have motivated |
| you would have motivated |
| he/she/it would have motivated |
| we would have motivated |
| you would have motivated |
| they would have motivated |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Verb | 1. |  motivate — give an incentive for action; «This moved me to sacrifice my career»
cause, do, make — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally; «cause a commotion»; «make a stir»; «cause an accident» impress, strike, affect, move — have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; «This child impressed me as unusually mature»; «This behavior struck me as odd» move — arouse sympathy or compassion in; «Her fate moved us all» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
motivate
verb
1. inspire, drive, stimulate, provoke, lead, move, cause, prompt, stir, trigger, set off, induce, arouse, prod, get going, instigate, impel, actuate, give incentive to, inspirit His hard work was motivated by a need to achieve.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
motivate
verb
1. To stir to action or feeling:
egg on, excite, foment, galvanize, goad, impel, incite, inflame, inspire, instigate, move, pique, prick, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, set off, spur, stimulate, touch off, trigger, work up.
2. To impart courage, inspiration, and resolution to:
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
motivovatpodnítit
motivere
motivirati
motivál
hvetja, kveikja löngun/áhuga
motivera
güdülemeksebep olmak
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
motivate
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
motive
(ˈməutiv) noun
something that makes a person choose to act in a particular way; a reason. What was his motive for murdering the old lady?
ˈmotivate (-veit) verb
to cause to act in a particular way. He was motivated by jealousy.
motiˈvation noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
motivate
vt. motivar, animar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
motive + -ate
Pronunciation[edit]
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈməʊ.tɪ.veɪt/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/, /ˈmoʊ.ɾəˌveɪt/
Verb[edit]
motivate (third-person singular simple present motivates, present participle motivating, simple past and past participle motivated)
- (transitive) To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage.
-
The weekly staff meeting was meant to motivate employees.
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2021 March 10, Drachinifel, Guadalcanal Campaign — The Big Night Battle: Night 1 (IJN 3(?) : 2 USN)[1], archived from the original on 17 October 2022, 17:51 from the start:
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Armor-piercing shells were heading up the shell hoists, but this procedure took a few minutes, allowing the battered American flagship to reply in kind, the gunners somewhat motivated to set new records for the rate of fire as the cruiser raked the larger ship from stem to stern in response.
-
-
- (transitive) To animate; to propel; to cause to take action
-
He was motivated purely by self-interest.
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Steam-motivated pumps are used in manufacturing.
-
Antonyms[edit]
- demotivate
[edit]
- mismotivate
- motivated
- motivator
- motive
Translations[edit]
to encourage
- Arabic: حَثَّ (ḥaṯṯa)
- Armenian: please add this translation if you can
- Basque: please add this translation if you can
- Bulgarian: мотивирам (bg) (motiviram), подбуждам (bg) (podbuždam)
- Catalan: motivar (ca)
- Chinese: 激发 (zh) (jīfā)
- Czech: motivovat
- Dutch: motiveren (nl)
- Esperanto: motivi
- Finnish: motivoida (fi)
- French: motiver (fr)
- Georgian: შეგულიანება (šegulianeba)
- German: motivieren (de)
- Hebrew: דרבן (he) (dirbén)
- Hindi: please add this translation if you can
- Hungarian: motivál (hu)
- Italian: motivare (it)
- Japanese: 動機を与える (どうきをあたえる, dōki o ataeru)
- Khmer: លើកទឹកចិត្ត (ləək tɨk cət)
- Korean: …에 동기를 주다 (…e donggireul juda)
- Maori: whakaohooho, whakahihiko
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Norman: motiver
- Norwegian Bokmål: motivere
- Persian: برانگیختن (fa) (barângixtan)
- Polish: motywować (pl) impf, zmotywować pf
- Portuguese: motivar (pt)
- Romanian: motiva (ro)
- Russian: мотиви́ровать (ru) (motivírovatʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian: motivírati (sh)
- Spanish: motivar (es)
- Swedish: motivera (sv)
- Telugu: ప్రేరేపించు (te) (prērēpiñcu)
- Thai: please add this translation if you can
- Ukrainian: мотивува́ти impf or pf (motyvuváty)
- Vietnamese: khích lệ (vi), động viên (vi), khuyến khích (vi)
Italian[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Adjective[edit]
motivate f pl
- feminine plural of motivato
Participle[edit]
motivate f pl
- feminine plural of motivato
Etymology 2[edit]
Verb[edit]
motivate
- inflection of motivare:
- second-person plural present indicative
- second-person plural imperative
Anagrams[edit]
- vomitate
Spanish[edit]
Verb[edit]
motivate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of motivar combined with te