# motivate

/ˈmoʊtəˌveɪt/ (US) · /mˈəʊtɪvˌeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/motivate
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to encourage someone

verb · CEFR B1

to make someone want to do something, especially something that involves hard work.

For teachers: to provide someone with a motive or incentive for doing something; to inspire or encourage a specific behaviour.

- The coach gave a speech to motivate the team before the final game.
- A good manager knows how to motivate their staff by recognising individual achievements rather than just focusing on quarterly targets.

Usage: Often used in the passive voice to describe a person's state of mind, as in 'highly motivated'.

### 2. to be the reason for

verb · CEFR B2 · Academic

to be the reason why someone does something.

For teachers: to serve as the underlying cause or reason for a particular action or decision.

- The desire to help people is what motivates her to work as a nurse.
- The investigators struggled to determine what had motivated the suspect to commit such a public crime without any apparent financial gain.

Usage: Frequently used in psychological or legal contexts to explain the 'why' behind a behaviour.

## Examples

- The teacher knows how to motivate her students to read more.
- The manager introduced a new bonus scheme to motivate the sales team during the slow winter months.
- Psychologists often distinguish between internal desires and external rewards when studying the factors that truly motivate people to pursue long-term career changes.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.