motivatemo‧ti‧vate /ˈməʊtɪveɪt $ ˈmoʊ-/ ●●○ verb [transitive] 
Verb Table Examples
Was he motivated solely by a desire for power?motivate somebody to do something We may never know what motivated him to kill his wife.2to make someone want to achieve something and make them willing to work hard in order to do this: A good teacher has to be able to motivate her students.motivate somebody to do something The profit-sharing plan is designed to motivate the staff to work hard.
Verb TableVERB TABLE
motivate
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | motivate |
| he, she, it | motivates | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | motivated |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have motivated |
| he, she, it | has motivated | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had motivated |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will motivate |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have motivated |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am motivating |
| he, she, it | is motivating | |
| you, we, they | are motivating | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was motivating |
| you, we, they | were motivating | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been motivating |
| he, she, it | has been motivating | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been motivating |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be motivating |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been motivating |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Every good teacher knows that criticism does not motivate learners.
- He was motivated by a desire to help his fellow man.
- I don't know what motivates people to commit such crimes.
- It's frustration that motivates babies to learn to walk.
- It's often more difficult to motivate boys than girls.
- Many in the Asian community feel that the police actions were motivated by racial bias.
- Not all people are motivated by self-interest.
- Only one third of workers said their supervisors know what motivates them to do their best work.
- What can we do to motivate the players?
- Haguellar had successfully used the Davis Cup carrot to motivate his lower ranked players.
- Ironically, it was the fear of congressional action against noncitizens that had finally motivated him to apply for citizenship.
- It may even motivate his crowd.
- It was abhorrence of waste of any kind of resource that motivated him.
- To motivate others to implement their decisions, they need strong leadership qualities.
- Whatever motivates you is most likely to motivate your people too.
Longman Language Activatorto make someone do something► make somebody do something
Collocations · Sarah's very funny. Her jokes always make me laugh.· The things she said make me wonder if she is in some kind of trouble.· The smell was so bad it almost made me throw up.be made to do something · I was made to wait for over an hour.
► cause somebody to do something to make someone or something do something. Cause is more formal than make: · A dog ran into the road, causing the cyclist to swerve.· The parents' fear of gang activity caused them to move the family to a safer neighborhood.· No-one understands what could have caused her to hate him so much.
► lead somebody to do something to be the thing that makes someone do something, especially when this process takes some time: · What led you to take up teaching as a career?· It was my interest in gardens that led me to study biology.lead somebody to believe: · The negative publicity has already led many to believe that Tompkins is guilty.
► motivate if something motivates someone to do something, it makes them want to do it - use this especially to talk about the reasons why people do things that are very good, very bad, or very dangerous: motivate somebody to do something: · I don't know what motivates people to commit such crimes.be motivated by something: · He was motivated by a desire to help his fellow man.· Many in the Asian community feel that the police actions were motivated by racial bias.
► induce somebody to do something formal to make someone choose to do something: · Whatever induced her to buy such an expensive car?· The state advertises a great deal to induce its citizens to buy lottery tickets.
► prompt somebody to do something to be the thing that makes you to do something, especially something you have been thinking of doing for some time: · It was reading his book that prompted me to write to him.· What exactly prompted him to call you in the middle of the night?
to make someone feel enthusiastic about something► inspire to make someone feel enthusiastic about something and make them feel that it is worth doing: · When I actually visited the university, it inspired me and made me want to go there.inspire somebody to do something: · The lecture today really inspired me to read more poetry.
► motivate to make someone feel enthusiastic about their work or their studies, and work hard: · It's often more difficult to motivate boys than girls.· Every good teacher knows that criticism does not motivate learners.motivate somebody to do something: · Only one third of workers said their supervisors know what motivates them to do their best work.
► fire somebody with enthusiasm British also fire somebody up especially American to make someone extremely enthusiastic so that they want to work very hard to achieve something: · His speech fired the audience with enthusiasm.be (all) fired up: · Brown was fired up about being back on the field again after his injury.· By the end of the meeting the sales team were all fired up and eager to start selling.
► rousing a rousing song, speech etc makes people feel excited and eager to do something: · His rousing speeches soon created a massive following.· Rousing organ music was coming from the church.
to be the reason why something happened or why someone does something► be the reason to be the reason why something happened or why someone did something: be the reason for/behind: · Nick's teachers think that problems at home are the reason for his poor schoolwork.be the reason why: · He borrowed too much money, and that's the reason why his business failed.be the reason (that): · I knew that I had my weaknesses. Perhaps that is the reason that I was not more successful.
► explain if a fact or situation explains something, it helps you to understand why it happened: · We were all puzzled: what could explain his sudden change of mind?explain why/what/how: · She couldn't sleep last night, which explains why she was in such a bad mood this morning.
► account for formal to be the reason that explains why something strange or surprising happened: · If it's true that he was taking drugs, that would account for his strange behaviour.
► motivate to be someone's personal reason for doing something: · Not all people are motivated by self-interest.motivate somebody to do something: · It's frustration that motivates babies to learn to walk.
► lie behind to be the secret or hidden reason for someone's action or behaviour: · I wonder what lies behind Arthur's sudden interest in golf?· I think that behind Tania's aggression lay a deep insecurity about herself.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► also
Word family· The farming achievements of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were also motivated by the need for more food.· Takla Haymanot of Gojjam, another of John's powerful and ambitious subjects, was also motivated solely by self-interest.· A more general consideration also motivates us to include semantics in the grammar of a language.· It is also motivated by psycholinguistic evidence, although we make no claims of psychological reality for the model.
► highly· They are highly motivated and rarely compromise.· A highly intelligent, highly motivated, and extremely personable young woman, Crystal has had numerous supports along the way.· It is essential therefore that the managers are highly motivated.· Highly motivated and highly skilled individuals will prosper in this environment.· Students are highly motivated, participate actively in the learning process and receive feedback as to the progress made.· Like most epileptics who are surgical candidates, Neil is highly motivated.· It was a motley but highly motivated crew, and in a poll with just 32 % turnout that did the trick.· Immigrants tend to be a highly motivated, self-selected group with a strong will to succeed.
► more· No, Minter was motivated more by the unreasoning malice which individual achievement seemed often to inspire in others.· It was an inspired piece of public relations, though more motivated by sheer pride and genuine gratification than any other motive.· Most historians see Montgomerie as a rather unstable figure, motivated more by ambition than political principle.
► politically· The potential for mischief in the international system by politically motivated or overzealous prosecutions is great.· But some think dismissal was politically motivated.· He says the election is coming up soon and he thinks it's politically motivated.· But he does deny that his opposition is politically motivated.· Councils are going back to being politically motivated and this is not a good thing.· But he said he did not know if all of those killings were politically motivated.· There were no signs that the attack had been politically motivated.· She said the timing of the vote was politically motivated.
► primarily· He, and the leaders of the extremist parties in coalition with him, are motivated primarily by ideology.· And although the Buddhist monk who shot him dead was motivated primarily by personal grievances, this chauvinism played a part.· The rational-economic individual is primarily motivated by economic incentives.
► racially· Superintendent Mark Whyman said no one had described the initial fights as racially motivated.· Some students at Andress High School said the fight was racially motivated.· Police are treating it as a racially motivated attack.· Shootings and other racially motivated violence perpetrated by private citizens continued to the end of the Carter years.· Perhaps not surprisingly given this, they believed that crime against them was racially motivated.· In New York a series of events caused blacks to mobilize against racially motivated violence and exacerbated race relations in the city.· The disagreement weakened efforts to demand positive government policy and to insist that perpetrators of racially motivated violence against blacks be punished.· Willie Brown isn't perfect, I know that, but some of the attacks are racially motivated.
► strongly· Staff and parents need to be strongly motivated to seek an integrated placement in a children's day centre or nursery school.· He is strongly motivated by a desire for the collection never to be split up again.· This is most appropriate for research situations where the teachers themselves are strongly motivated and committed to the research.· These users are very strongly motivated and persistent.
► well· The family doctor may choose to manage patients who are well motivated and not severely emaciated.· I was well motivated and certainly used to studying and figuring out how things work.
NOUN► ability· Although he had an unrivalled ability to motivate players, Docherty's approach often bordered on theatre of cruelty.· What matters is your ability to motivate people, and that is kind of a nebulous term.· Charismatic authority - this is where authority rests on the ability to motivate others by the strength of personality.
► action· He expected good behaviour and his rather grim glance in her direction did more to motivate her into action than any coaxing.· You will need to he motivated into action.· People can be motivated to take action in defence of some one who can protect them from the effects of industrialism.
► child· It is parents who have to produce healthy, motivated children before the education process can begin.· You encourage or motivate your child by reinforcing his/her efforts, but this isn't as straight forward as you might think.· Did the pictures motivate the children? 4.· Although reward may not represent very much extra incentive for the bright and successful, it motivates the unsuccessful child highly.· Is it the teacher's job to motivate the child at school?
► concern· Inpart they were motivated by concern to shore up the influence of their class over provincial affairs.· The brick story that dominated 1986 and 1987 was essentially motivated by concern about how the exterior would look.· The Prime Minister was clearly motivated by growing public concern about education and the work of the schools.· On the other hand, Congress was motivated by ideological concerns.
► consideration· The use of penalties to choose the bounding variable is motivated by two considerations.· However, the overture also appears to have been motivated by economic considerations.
► desire· The pact was ostensibly motivated by a desire to eradicate political dynasties and corruption in favour of political renovation and democratic change.· In other words, behavior is generally motivated by a desire to attain some goal.· All that is motivated by their desire to compete against rugby league.· What motivated my desire to write about the homeless from the position of that doorway was a woman named Gerri Willinger.· It may well be that, throughout our careers we are motivated by the desire to satisfy different needs. 2.· Hubbell was motivated by a desire to protect the Clintons, the senators suggested.· If we are at the bottom of the organisation we may be motivated by the desire to satisfy physiological needs.· He is strongly motivated by a desire for the collection never to be split up again.
► fear· Religion, Professor Berti continues, is the term for this subordination of reason to imagination, a subordination motivated by fear.· This diminishes the chances of accidental war or pre-emptive strikes motivated by unfounded fears.· However, the fun-lover is motivated by a fear of pain, which he or she tries to escape.
► group· Immigrants tend to be a highly motivated, self-selected group with a strong will to succeed.
► money· He doesn't believe that extra money motivates, whether that money be a bonus, profit sharing or a salary increase.· This means that advertisers have to produce commercials that will be noticed and will motivate viewers to spend money.· The directly employed building operative may be motivated by factors other than money incentives.
► need· The farming achievements of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were also motivated by the need for more food.· The sub-contractor is motivated by the need to maximise his earnings.· It's argued that psychoanalysts are motivated by the need to influence and control.· We are motivated by our needs when they are not satisfied.
► part· Loss of momentum occurs when other people are not motivated to do their part.· Johnson's triumph led to racially-motivated riots in parts of the United States. 8.
► people· The first question concerns the individual, structural, and cultural factors that motivate people to rebel.· What matters is your ability to motivate people, and that is kind of a nebulous term.· Want to motivate and lead other people.· Many theories exist about what motivates people and why.· Whatever motivates you is most likely to motivate your people too.· The food delivery service, according to Lane, should be used to motivate people to improve their lives.· Compact aims to motivate young people to improve their educational achievements.· Watergate, the political scandal that so motivated these young people, is 25 years old this year.
► staff· Similarly, challenging objectives should motivate staff and encourage creativity.· Or through their charisma, reputation, energy, or sheer popularity - qualities which help win business and motivate staff.· As long as this biased reward system persists, motivating teaching staff to improve the training of medical students will be difficult.· Management have the responsibility for accomplishing these objectives; it is their responsibility to motivate staff and direct activities.
► student· The final chapter, Chapter 8, provides very useful guidance in further reading which can be invaluable to the motivated student.
► team· Do any offer help to the project manager in motivating the team?· Jobs claimed that he could motivate the team to complete the project in little more than a year.· His greatest quality is the way he motivates his team.· Successful background in driving tasks and projects, and effectively motivating a team towards achievement of goals.
► work· The family needs to be motivated to make this work.· To be sure, dressing up the college admissions application often motivates the teen charity work, but so what?· The demonstration was motivated by theoretical work which provides the real justification for the interpretation given.· Content theories are concerned with explaining those things which actually motivate people at work arising from needs, expectations and goals.
VERB► help· An earnout may help to continue to motivate the vendors and secure their services even after they have received the initial consideration.· That would also help him with motivating and evaluating the site supervisors who reported to him now.· Motivating others Memos are sometimes used to help motivate others.
► seem· According to the Description Theory, names mean some definite description, but none seems motivated or necessary.· Neely and the team seem to have been motivated by the turmoil.
WORD FAMILYadjectivemotivatedmotivationalmotivelessnounmotivemotivationverbmotivate
1to be the reason why someone does something SYN drive: Was he motivated solely by a desire for power?motivate somebody to do something We may never know what motivated him to kill his wife.2to make someone want to achieve something and make them willing to work hard in order to do this: A good teacher has to be able to motivate her students.motivate somebody to do something The profit-sharing plan is designed to motivate the staff to work hard.