as in to encourage
to rouse to action or activity
The presence of treats motivated the dogs to obey their owner's commands. They drove a campaign to motivate voters to show up to the polls.
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Recent Examples of motivate
Cole Palmer of Chelsea motivates the crowd during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, United States.
—
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
Tools to motivate farmers to hang on to their land are scarce, but state lawmakers hope to change that with the Farmland Preservation Act, which was signed into law in May.
—Laura L. Davis, The Tennessean, 13 July 2025
Lopez says his clients are served with $500 offers of judgment so they’ll be motivated to settle and avoid the potential of facing large court costs and attorneys fees later.
—Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2025
Fans hoping that these moves signify a new, more spirited ownership group ready to get back to top 10 payrolls, or one motivated to let the team change hands shouldn’t hold their breath.
—Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
Tools to motivate farmers to hang on to their land are scarce, but state lawmakers hope to change that with the Farmland Preservation Act, which was signed into law in May.
—Laura L. Davis, The Tennessean, 13 July 2025
Lopez says his clients are served with $500 offers of judgment so they’ll be motivated to settle and avoid the potential of facing large court costs and attorneys fees later.
—Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2025
Fans hoping that these moves signify a new, more spirited ownership group ready to get back to top 10 payrolls, or one motivated to let the team change hands shouldn’t hold their breath.
—Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate
Verb
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If your plants are still fruiting towards the end of the season, cut away any small fruit and lingering flowers to encourage your plant to spend its remaining energy ripening the last few cucumbers on the vine.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 July 2025
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South Bend offers a good example of how to encourage developers to address these needs, Ibrahim said.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
12 July 2025
Verb
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Or they could be persuaded that financial surveillance of businesses for transactions over $200 is necessary to prevent criminals from moving money.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
13 July 2025
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Becker had run in high school but was working as a mortgage broker when, with his 60th birthday approaching, a friend persuaded him to try a marathon in Minnesota.—
James Rainey
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Frankie Grande was forced to compete alone in a two person Battle of the Block Competition when his teammate Caleb abandoned him and sat out.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
5 July 2025
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Initially, the plant’s staff was overwhelmed, forcing Motorola to briefly backtrack on its promise to deliver phones to customers within four days.—
Verne Kopytoff,
Fortune,
5 July 2025
Verb
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For six months, President Trump tried to entice Putin to the table.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 July 2025
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Culinary delight often begins with a visual feast that entices people to indulge in delicious flavors.—
Molly Peck,
USA Today,
10 July 2025
Verb
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His 2024 album Tears on the Beach, inspired by his time on Survivor, featured collaborations between indie rockers and reality stars—pairings that included Mannequin Pussy’s Marisa Dabice with Season 45 winner Dee Valladares, and Shannon Shaw alongside Coach Benjamin Wade, a.k.a.—
Sarah Grant,
Rolling Stone,
14 July 2025
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Set against the backdrop of Costa Rica and inspired by true events, 52nd State follows an IT worker who discovers his job is a front for a criminal operation that scams elderly Americans.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Doing so could stimulate economic growth, and would be warmly welcomed by the White House and investors.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
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Examples include flashing notifications that make your phone jump and squeak, colorful rewards when others like your posts, and algorithms that push out the most emotional content to stimulate your most base emotions of anger, shame or glee.—
Lisa Schirch,
The Conversation,
7 July 2025
Verb
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To create a more human-like microbiome in the guts of mice, the team induced nine of these bacterial species through oral gavage.—
Jay Kakade
July 12,
New Atlas,
12 July 2025
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Music that almost induces out-of–body experiences, playing with frequencies that move your cells in a way that physically change the structure of your body by creating sound that affects you in a physical way.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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