motivemo‧tive1 /ˈməʊtɪv $ ˈmoʊ-/ ●●○ AWL noun [countable] 
What do you suppose the killer’s motive was?motive for (doing) something The police believe the motive for this murder was jealousy.motive behind The motives behind the decision remain obscure. The violence was clearly prompted by political motives. It’s not the kind of thing he’d do unless he had an ulterior motive (=a reason he kept hidden).► see thesaurus at reason2a motif—motiveless adjective: an apparently motiveless killingCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa strong motive· Barbara had a strong motive for disliking Ben.the main motive· The main motive for the killings seemed to be revenge.the prime/primary motive (=the main motive)· Concern was her prime motive in visiting Mrs Green.a possible motive· The police are still thinking about possible motives for the murders.a clear motive· She had no clear motive to lie.a hidden motive· She wondered if there was a hidden motive for his departure.an ulterior motive (=a hidden motive)· Did you think I had an ulterior motive for coming here?somebody’s real/true motive· What were his true motives for offering her the job?an underlying motive (=a motive that is not directly stated)· The treaty’s underlying motive was to make Japan a strong ally of the US.a political motive· The murders might have a political motive.an economic motive· Many people believed that there were economic motives to the decision to go to war.mixed motives· He had mixed motives for joining the army: a desire to prove himself, but also the desire to get away from his family.verbshave a motive· Who might have had a motive for killing him?question/suspect somebody’s motive (=think that someone might have selfish or dishonest reasons for doing something)· They began to question the motives of the people who held positions of power.find/establish a motive· So far the police have been unable to establish a motive for the murder.
WORD ORIGINmotive1
Origin:
1500-1600 Old French motif, from motif ‘moving’; ➔ MOTIVE2EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- It's hard to understand her motives.
- Police believe the motive for the murder was jealousy
- Police say the motive for the killing was an unpaid drug debt.
- She was suspicious. Was there an ulterior motive behind his request?
- The motive behind the killing of Agnes Law was robbery.
- Whatever your motives for coming over, I'm glad you did.
- However, if the prosecution does not raise it as a motive for murder the defence is unlikely to challenge this.
- In an age when information is power, there are clear motives for archiving.
- Marty social services are simply not well suited to companies whose basic motive is profit.
- Morris said that police have not determined a motive in the attack.
- Nor does it provide a rationale for people with questionable motives to vent their hostilities or express their idiosyncrasies.
- Police are investigating but said they had no clue as to the motive.
- There is an obvious social motive behind explanations with a sharing function.
THESAURUS
why something happens, or why someone does something: · What was the reason for the delay?· I don’t know the reason why he left his last job.
the reason why something happens, especially something bad: · What was the cause of his death?· We studied the causes of the First World War.
a set of reasons that helps you to understand why something happens, especially when it seems difficult to understand: · There are various possible explanations for climate change.· Is there any explanation for his behavior?
a reason that makes someone decide to do something – often used about crimes: · Police say that there is no obvious motive for the attack.
a good reason for doing something that seems wrong: · There is never any justification for torture or abuse.· They try to use the situation in the Middle East as a justification for killing innocent civilians.· There’s no justification for this type of behaviour.
a reason that makes it right or fair to do something, especially according to legal, official, or moral rules: · The court will decide if she has grounds for divorce.· They claim the war is justified on moral grounds (=because of moral reasons).
the main ideas or reasons on which something is based: · The doctor makes his decisions purely on the basis of clinical observation.· What do you think is the basis for this advice?
formal a set of reasons that are used to explain why someone does something in a particular way: · the rationale behind the government’s economic reforms· This chapter explains the nature of yearly plans, and provides a rationale for their use.
Longman Language Activatorwhy something happens or why someone does something what makes something happen, or what makes someone do something: · Why did he poison his wife? There must be a reason.reason for: · Dad went off to find out the reason for the delay.reason for doing something: · What was your reason for leaving your last job?reason to do something: · You don't need a reason to phone her. Just call her up and say hello.reason why: · There's no reason why Jon can't come with us.reason (that): · One of the main reasons that she looks so good is that she has her own personal stylist.for personal/health/business etc reasons: · For security reasons, there were video cameras at the school entrance.for some reason especially spoken (=for a reason that you do not know or understand): · No, he isn't here - he had to go back to Poland for some reason.for reasons best known to himself/herself etc (=for secret reasons that other people do not know or understand): · For reasons best known to themselves, my parents were vehemently opposed to the idea.
a fact, statement, or idea that helps you to understand why something has happened: · I don't know why he tested positive for drugs. The only explanation I can think of is that the samples got mixed up.explanation for: · Scientists have offered various explanations for these changes in climate.possible explanation: · There are several possible explanations for girls' superior high school performance.
the reason that makes someone decide to do something, especially something bad or dishonest: · It's hard to understand her motives.motive for/behind: · Police believe the motive for the murder was jealousy· The motive behind the killing of Agnes Law was robbery.motive for doing something: · Whatever your motives for coming over, I'm glad you did.an ulterior motive (=a hidden reason for doing something): · She was suspicious. Was there an ulterior motive behind his request?
the strong feeling that is your reason for wanting to do something or achieve something, especially something that may take a long time to achieve: · She enjoyed the excitement of her work. Money was not her only motivation.motivation for: · Fame was the main motivation for their efforts.motivation for doing something: · His motivation for wanting to stay on as manager is to see England as the top team in the world.
the reason that someone gives to explain why they do or do not do something but which is only partly true: · His sore leg was a pretext. He just wanted a day off work.pretext for: · Minor offences were sometimes used as a pretext for an arrest.pretext to do something: · She couldn't find a pretext to visit Derek at home.on the pretext of/that (=giving the reason that): · He used to spend hours at her house on the pretext of giving her Japanese lessons.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives He’s just being nice. I don’t think he has any ulterior motives.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· Barbara had a strong motive for disliking Ben.
· The main motive for the killings seemed to be revenge.
(=the main motive)· Concern was her prime motive in visiting Mrs Green.
· The police are still thinking about possible motives for the murders.
· She had no clear motive to lie.
· She wondered if there was a hidden motive for his departure.
(=a hidden motive)· Did you think I had an ulterior motive for coming here?
· What were his true motives for offering her the job?
(=a motive that is not directly stated)· The treaty’s underlying motive was to make Japan a strong ally of the US.
· The murders might have a political motive.
· Many people believed that there were economic motives to the decision to go to war.
· He had mixed motives for joining the army: a desire to prove himself, but also the desire to get away from his family.
verbs· Who might have had a motive for killing him?
(=think that someone might have selfish or dishonest reasons for doing something)· They began to question the motives of the people who held positions of power.
· So far the police have been unable to establish a motive for the murder.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=a reason to kill someone)· Police believe the motive for the murders was robbery.
He’s just being nice. I don’t think he has any ulterior motives.· According to his model, individuals are variable and driven by many different motives.· But in the somewhat artificial world you are creating, six different motives you may well need.· In the end, seventeen different forms of motive power were on display along with a wide range of other railway related attractions.· And because I knew a lot of people, you'd do things for different motives.· Similarly, many different motives came into play, ranging from political manipulation to the purest altruism.· Board games can enable pupils to interact and consider different viewpoints and motives at times in the past.· Murder, petty theft and tax evasion, for instance, all have different motives and consequences.· Different governments have different motives, depending on how radical and also how democratic they actually are.
· Even the westward expansion of the United States had its economic motives.
· But he had no understanding of the extraordinary complexities and irrationalities of human motives, human behaviour.· He believed that nothing can be finally known that involves human motive and need.· About human affairs, about human motives, actions and desires.· Moreover, there are certain mysteries that weave through life itself, human motive and human desire.· The universally-shared human motive of rational self-interest makes human action predictable, generalisable and controllable.· It is not just a projection of human motives on to a neutral universe.
· Her main motive was simple: to retrieve the ring and thereby enable Rick to make peace with his family.
· Wolfenden also hints at the other motives behind the widespread public indignation.· But what other motive could there be for silence?· The prospect of good wages and modest gains provided ample inducement to serve; but there were no doubt other motives as well.· At the same time it is easy to see that group solidarity overrides all other loyalties and motives.· Careful investigation had revealed no other possible motive for the killing.· Now there were other motives being satisfied, and scores being subtly settled.· There may, of course, be other motives in all this.· It was an inspired piece of public relations, though more motivated by sheer pride and genuine gratification than any other motive.
· What were the personal motives of the chief participants in an event? 6.
· A political motive was clearly bound up with this economic activity.· The political motives that lay behind this patronage in no way detract from the superb aesthetic achievement that it produced.· While there were clearly political motives involved, there seems no reason to doubt his sincerity.· Much of the recent speculation has overtly political motives.· The murders might have a political motive.· Oddly enough, conservative extremists shared his views, largely for unrelated internal political motives.· It is hard to tell exactly how heavily domestic political motives weighed with de Gaulle.· They also indicate his own political motives.
· This was already being discussed widely as a possible motive for the action that Orkney Islands Council had taken.· But the possible motives for another Farrakhan event in January and February drew less favorable reviews.· We have one possibility but the case is still under investigation and I am looking for possible motives.· There was no official word on a possible motive.· Weinstock has listed fourteen of the possible motives authors have for citing the work of others.· What possible motive could this round, friendly, most amiable of men have for murder?· Careful investigation had revealed no other possible motive for the killing.· It was clear Mrs Baggley was, in her own way, making comments about a possible motive for Gray's murder.
· In this context the primary motive is increased sales.· The primary motive is to free the self from a life that is necessarily rendered crass and degrading by society.· During its visit 2857 has provided the primary motive power on the railway.· Consequently, the calendar ceased to be the primary motive for celestial observation.
· Jamie had no idea of her real motive for searching the dead man's rooms.· We must beware of hysterical solutions to complex problems urged by people whose real motive is often hatred of industry and capitalism.· She felt suddenly sickened, reminded of her real motive for taking this job with Luke.· Questions like these dealing with real people with real motives and posing problems, can slowly help to develop understanding.· Also, he was not going to accept it, he was going to look for a real motive for this murder.· And Troilus immediately confesses that this was his real motive behind his defence of the present Trojan stance.· Unbeknown to you the real motive is to question you in order to undermine your position.· The real motive for the enforced resignations remained unclear.
· The other and perhaps stronger motive for regional bloc-building is the hope of increasing collective bargaining power.· An overwhelmingly strong motive made the ship anchor there.· The attempt to make such distinctions clear was a strong motive behind the whole idea of formalism.
· However, for Guangming Ribao, all her appeals to students to end the demonstrations had an ulterior motive.· An ulterior motive for performing text recognition is to convert existing printed material into a computer format that permits further processing.· No ulterior motive lurks behind it, but it keeps you at a distance.· They look around for other explanations and ulterior motives.· A member is entitled to a judgment that is free from any extraneous or ulterior motive.· Actually, he invited me out tonight, probably with an ulterior motive.· It was difficult to accept that Jane had no ulterior motives.· He had to have an ulterior motive.
NOUN· The question is the charge of gas, exploded in the cylinder head, which is the motive force of every piston-stroke.· Resistance to change is used too often as an excuse for failure rather than a motive force for success.· The motive force for this enthusiasm is not internationalism or an overdose of brotherly love, but the size of the market.· Desire is a motive force, an attractive force.
· In the end, seventeen different forms of motive power were on display along with a wide range of other railway related attractions.· And, of course, the motive power is inevitably steam but not, alas, genuine West Riding motive power.· During its visit 2857 has provided the primary motive power on the railway.· It never looks half as glamorous today, now that the motive power is diesel.· Many fail to realise that, due to obvious lack of water for motive power, it was ever a working mill.
· The absence of the profit motive as an incentive to efficiency does not adequately distinguish public and private employees.· Worse still, they unintentionally fostered negative, adverse meanings that equated Tesseract with a profit motive that people did not trust.· But while public provision does not preclude charitable giving, the existence of the profit motive in any service usually does.· Spurred by the profit motive, the shops tackled problems with a vengeance.· The Conservatives have a tendency to believe that planning decisions can be taken on the profit motive.· But not all such changes are driven by the profit motive.· Nothing mattered except the profit motive.· Society and the church used to condemn the profit motive as sinful and wrong.
VERB· About the motive for killing him Place seemed less clear.· There was the motive for the killing!
· Wycliffe had no idea but surely not enough to provide a motive for murder.· During its visit 2857 has provided the primary motive power on the railway.· Thus the political message of local elections provides another motive for ministers to deny their importance.
· Lawyers and supporters of the parents in Orkney questioned both the motives and the methods of this once trusted organisation.· Others question corporate motives and wonder how much we want businesses involved in the schools.· Your Miss MacQuillan says she questions my motives and emphatically will not encourage me to identify her father's killer.· What has happened in the last decade to make anyone question his motives?· He predicted that devolution would be divisive and questioned the very motives behind the policy.
· Currently, the evidence is suggesting that both the motives and the actions are more prevalent than was previously supposed.· Interviewed at his Paddington studios, Sweet's wife, Audrey, could suggest no motive for the killing.
· Her second teacher was Miss Barnsdale, one of those who suspects a mean motive for everything.· A Temne is likely to suspect the motives of a Mende politician.· She suspected his motives in asking her.· Some in the West Wing suspected more petty motives.· You owe him an apology for misjudging him and suspecting his motives at every turn.· Tonight she had come full circle - from merely suspecting Luke's motives to hearing him finally admit them.· They disliked this egoistic conception of man, and they suspected that egoistic motives might not be sufficient to underpin morality.
· The future provision of a healthy diet will be based upon a full and detailed understanding of these motives.· Much of my agony came from my inability to understand his motives.· Obviously he hadn't liked it, because it showed that she understood his motives only too well.· She would try to understand Mrs Maybury's motives.· She would at once understand the motive and, however coldly she dealt with me, she would understand the necessity.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- A member is entitled to a judgment that is free from any extraneous or ulterior motive.
- Actually, he invited me out tonight, probably with an ulterior motive.
- An ulterior motive for performing text recognition is to convert existing printed material into a computer format that permits further processing.
- However, for Guangming Ribao, all her appeals to students to end the demonstrations had an ulterior motive.
- It was difficult to accept that Jane had no ulterior motives.
- No ulterior motive lurks behind it, but it keeps you at a distance.
- The legislation pertaining to protection of wetlands and endangered species is clearly being abused by extremists pursuing ulterior motives.
- They look around for other explanations and ulterior motives.
WORD FAMILYadjectivemotivatedmotivationalmotivelessnounmotivemotivationverbmotivate
1the reason that makes someone do something, especially when this reason is kept hidden: What do you suppose the killer’s motive was?motive for (doing) something The police believe the motive for this murder was jealousy.motive behind The motives behind the decision remain obscure. The violence was clearly prompted by political motives. It’s not the kind of thing he’d do unless he had an ulterior motive (=a reason he kept hidden).► see thesaurus at reason2a motif—motiveless adjective: an apparently motiveless killingCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa strong motive· Barbara had a strong motive for disliking Ben.the main motive· The main motive for the killings seemed to be revenge.the prime/primary motive (=the main motive)· Concern was her prime motive in visiting Mrs Green.a possible motive· The police are still thinking about possible motives for the murders.a clear motive· She had no clear motive to lie.a hidden motive· She wondered if there was a hidden motive for his departure.an ulterior motive (=a hidden motive)· Did you think I had an ulterior motive for coming here?somebody’s real/true motive· What were his true motives for offering her the job?an underlying motive (=a motive that is not directly stated)· The treaty’s underlying motive was to make Japan a strong ally of the US.a political motive· The murders might have a political motive.an economic motive· Many people believed that there were economic motives to the decision to go to war.mixed motives· He had mixed motives for joining the army: a desire to prove himself, but also the desire to get away from his family.verbshave a motive· Who might have had a motive for killing him?question/suspect somebody’s motive (=think that someone might have selfish or dishonest reasons for doing something)· They began to question the motives of the people who held positions of power.find/establish a motive· So far the police have been unable to establish a motive for the murder.