ENGLISH
REFERENCE

motivates

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈmoʊtəˌveɪts// UK //mˈəʊtɪvˌeɪts// mo·ti·vates

v. to give someone a reason to do something or to make them want to work harder. You use this when you talk about what drives people to reach their goals.

v. to provide a reason or incentive for an action; to stimulate interest or enthusiasm in a person to achieve a goal. Transitive — requires a direct object, often followed by an infinitive clause.


SIMPLE

The desire to travel motivates her to save money.

CONTEXTUAL

A good manager motivates their team by recognizing hard work and offering clear paths for career growth.

COMPLEX

While financial rewards are effective in the short term, research suggests that intrinsic satisfaction motivates employees more deeply over the course of a long career.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and often takes the pattern 'motivates [someone] to [do something]'.

Pitfall

The teacher motivates to the students.The teacher motivates the students.Motivate is a transitive verb and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.

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