motives
n. countablen. the reasons why you do something. You use this word when you want to talk about the hidden or true purpose behind someone's actions.
n. the underlying reasons or intentions that drive a person's actions or decisions. Often used in legal or psychological contexts to explore the 'why' behind a specific behavior.
The police are still looking for his motives.
The manager questioned her motives for working late every night right before the promotion was announced.
While the charity's public goals were clear, some critics questioned the underlying motives of its largest corporate donors, suggesting the contributions were merely a public relations exercise.
Frequently used in the plural; often paired with adjectives like 'ulterior', 'hidden', or 'political'.
What was his motive of doing that?What was his motive for doing that?The noun 'motive' typically takes the preposition 'for' followed by a gerund or noun phrase, rather than 'of'.