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
Conversely, players who feel they were snubbed in the voting may be motivated to prove the voters made a mistake.
—
Mark Lasota, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
That’s one reason why firms are motivated to makeover AI’s reputation.
—Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Perry cites her brother John’s San Diego heavy-metal band, Kaos, for motivating her to pursue music early on.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025
Tory Lanez was stabbed in prison this week, prompting many to question what motivated the attack.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Mark Lasota, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
That’s one reason why firms are motivated to makeover AI’s reputation.
—Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
Perry cites her brother John’s San Diego heavy-metal band, Kaos, for motivating her to pursue music early on.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025
Tory Lanez was stabbed in prison this week, prompting many to question what motivated the attack.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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In order to protect his brother, Gi-jun encouraged Ju-woon and Bong-san to stage a coup.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
6 June 2025
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Musk, who spent almost $300 million on last year’s election, had also encouraged the primarying of lawmakers who voted for it.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Jonathan Ernst | Reuters European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen managed to persuade the president to give talks more time but, as things stand, the EU has until July 9 to reach a deal with Washington.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
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Be on alert for phishing scams – Fraudsters regularly send emails that appear to be from a reputable source in order to persuade individuals to provide valuable personal information, such as access codes, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, account numbers, etc.—
Rick Unser,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
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That gives you a puncher’s chance against a team that runs on makes and misses and forces defensive miscues by sheer virtue of its pace of play.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
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The prospect of a New York team with an identity forged from refusing to yield under pressure forcing an anxiety-inducing Game 7 at Madison Square Garden looms large.—
Bobby Krivitsky,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Verb
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The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 May 2025
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Duffy recently announced a sweeping program to upgrade the agency's technology infrastructure, as well as hiring incentives to entice more would-be air traffic controllers.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Enter the high-stakes world of Squid Game: The Experience in New York City to tackle five immersive challenges inspired by the breakout Netflix hit from South Korea.—
Nevin Martell,
USA Today,
27 May 2025
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Inside, the stage was inspired by the Biltmore Theater in Los Angeles, said art director Matt Fiuza.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Just like weight-bearing exercises, the vibrations stimulate osteocytes, which send signals to the two other types of bone cells–osteoblasts and osteoclasts–to create new bone matter and recycle the old.—
Jia H. Jung,
Mercury News,
4 June 2025
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The electrode stimulates the nerve, opening the airway by moving the tongue forward.1 Hypoglossal nerve stimulation surgery can effectively resolve snoring for some.—
Sukaina Hasnie,
Verywell Health,
4 June 2025
Verb
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After a nine-pitch battle with Harrison Bader, Springs induced a weak grounder up the middle, fielded it cleanly and threw to first to end the frame.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
5 June 2025
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On inducing it in a skin tumor, cis-urocanic acid can acidify the tumor and kill those cells.—
Jay Kakade
June 03,
New Atlas,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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