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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of motivate
Preview our revenue goals for next year and motivate the team to hit them.
—
Kelly Daniel, Contributor, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2025
Trump’s actions sparked accusations he was motivated by self-interest and vengefulness.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Despite the breakout season, Kennedy wasn’t selected for first or second-team CHSAA all-state in Class 5A — a slight that motivated the family’s eventual migration to Mountain Vista.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 2 Feb. 2025
The streaming potency of the 2014 film helped motivate the decision by Disney to mobilize a Moana streaming series for Disney+, which was then refashioned into a theatrical sequel.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for motivate 
Kelly Daniel, Contributor, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2025
Trump’s actions sparked accusations he was motivated by self-interest and vengefulness.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025
Despite the breakout season, Kennedy wasn’t selected for first or second-team CHSAA all-state in Class 5A — a slight that motivated the family’s eventual migration to Mountain Vista.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 2 Feb. 2025
The streaming potency of the 2014 film helped motivate the decision by Disney to mobilize a Moana streaming series for Disney+, which was then refashioned into a theatrical sequel.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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Provide opportunities for professional growth, encourage open feedback, and show appreciation for hard work.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr.,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
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Gaga recently updated her website to include a cryptic game, where users are encouraged to click and drag across a sea of floating letters to reveal short sentences, which fans believe to be lyrics off her forthcoming album.—
Stephen Daw,
Billboard,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Due to those risks, local officials were able to persuade corps officials to reduce the amount of water initially planned for release.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2025
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Cotton leaned hard on the White House to persuade, not pressure, arguing that an overly combative approach could be counterproductive for people like Young.—
Stef W. Kight,
Axios,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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When Alma’s inventor is murdered, Salia and Zem, two cops from different zones who are polar opposites, are forced to collaborate on the investigation.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2025
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But he was forced to cash them in a decade ago to pay a large dental bill.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Builders have been slashing prices and offering incentives to entice buyers.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
31 Jan. 2025
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The value proposition for players in a single-player game is a lot fuzzier, though; that's why Sony is adding some candy with these in-game unlockables to try to entice players to create accounts and sign in.—
Samuel Axon,
Ars Technica,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The spy thriller series is inspired by a real-life undercover operation that enlists female operatives known as Lionesses.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
8 Feb. 2025
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The 2022 law, which created the Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, was inspired by model legislation offered up by President Joe Biden’s administration and was meant to ensure that the settlement funds were put to use counteracting the deadly effects of the opioid epidemic.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The other key plot point is Farrah’s use of stroboscopic light therapy to stimulate brain activity and neural responses.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Feb. 2025
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Avoid stimulating activities before bedtime, and there should be no exposure to electronic devices emitting blue light.—
Arielle Tschinkel,
Parents,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In the nascent field of AI hacking, indirect prompt injection has become a basic building block for inducing chatbots to exfiltrate sensitive data or perform other malicious actions.—
Dan Goodin,
Ars Technica,
11 Feb. 2025
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Every inch of The White Lotus’s Thailand resort induces a mix of envious longing and burbling queasiness.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near motivate
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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