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motivate

/ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/verb3 syllables

Motivate means: give an incentive for action.

Synonyms for motivate18

verb, as in give an incentive for action

actuate, propel, move, prompt, incite, affect, impress, strike

also used for motivate

drive, spur, abet, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, bring about, push

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does motivate mean?1

verb

1

give an incentive for action“This moved me to sacrifice my career”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Motivate in a sentence

  • The teachers are trying to motivate their students.CK
  • I go to the store to motivate my mom.gleki
  • Your opinion will motivate the author to write more.josivangoncalves
  • Reading fun books is a great way to motivate reluctant readers.Nuel
  • How do you motivate yourself when you’re feeling stuck?futurk
  • Anybody that motivates you to be better is someone who's worth keeping close.eirik174
  • I do it because of the only thing that motivates me: social gratification.DJ_Saidez
  • He motivates me to take chances in life.Nuel

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of motivate

as a verb

past tense
motivated
present participle
motivating
third-person singular
motivates
past participle
motivated