motivate
v.-
1 to encourage someone (v.) B1 Intermediateto make someone want to do something, especially something that involves hard work.
to provide someone with a motive or incentive for doing something; to inspire or encourage a specific behaviour.
ExampleThe coach gave a speech to motivate the team before the final game.
ExampleA good manager knows how to motivate their staff by recognising individual achievements rather than just focusing on quarterly targets.
UsageOften used in the passive voice to describe a person's state of mind, as in 'highly motivated'.
PitfallThe teacher motivated to the students.The teacher motivated the students.The verb 'motivate' is transitive and takes a direct object without a preposition.
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2 to be the reason for (v.) B2 Upper Intermediate Academicto be the reason why someone does something.
to serve as the underlying cause or reason for a particular action or decision.
ExampleThe desire to help people is what motivates her to work as a nurse.
ExampleThe investigators struggled to determine what had motivated the suspect to commit such a public crime without any apparent financial gain.
UsageFrequently used in psychological or legal contexts to explain the 'why' behind a behaviour.
From motive + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French motiver.
- Verbmotivate
- Nounmotivation