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motive
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show 188 more with this conextual meaning
  • I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain.   (source)
  • As if I needed another motive to kill you.   (source)
    motive = reason
  • Their efforts would be in vain; a suspect was never apprehended and a motive never determined.   (source)
    motive = a reason (for doing something)
  • Now tell me why we cling to power. What is our motive?   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing something)
  • Armstrong said: "And the motive?"   (source)
  • I have a motive of which, be sure, she would have approved.   (source)
  • I must not be understood affirming that, in the dressing up of the tale, and imagining the motives and modes of passion that influenced the characters who figure in it, I have invariably confined myself within the limits of the old Surveyor's half-a-dozen sheets of foolscap.   (source)
    motives = reasons for doing things
  • My thoughts now became more active, and I longed to discover the motives and feelings of these lovely creatures; I was inquisitive to know why Felix appeared so miserable and Agatha so sad.   (source)
  • How I never question Gale's motives while I do nothing but doubt the latter's.†   (source)
  • INTERROGATOR: Explain your motive for murder.†   (source)
  • I had a hard time imagining that it was him that was talking to Paul, that he had some ulterior motive in this.†   (source)
  • And just like a king, he must now be wary of people's motives for befriending him or taking him into their confidence.†   (source)
  • I can't explain Cassie's motives for her.†   (source)
  • And both Zinzi and Bolden had their own motives in doing this?†   (source)
  • Danny Hansford's motives are not the issue.†   (source)
  • I suspected her of ulterior motives.†   (source)
  • But what were Elena's motives?†   (source)
  • At this point in my mother's life, I used to feel there was a conflict of motives.†   (source)
  • I hated all dogs, distrusted their motives.†   (source)
  • And then, from a mixture of motives—a practical need to change the subject, the desire to share a secret and show the older girl that she too had worldly experiences, but above all because she warmed to Lola and wanted to draw her closer—Briony told her about meeting Robbie on the bridge, and the letter, and how she had opened it, and what wasin it.†   (source)
  • "Look, it would be better if we didn't dig up the past; I don't care what Pedro's motives were in marrying me.†   (source)
  • Who knows what their motives are now Or how desperate they've gotten, or what they might be willing to do."†   (source)
  • What do you think he meant by his motives being based on self-preservation?†   (source)
  • Nor did he have any ulterior motives.†   (source)
  • Their underlying motives were no less varied than the motives of Western climbers, but at least part of the incentive was job security: as Lopsang explained, 'After Sherpa climbs Everest, easy to find work.†   (source)
  • She thought that to children adult motives and actions must seem as bulking and ominous as dangerous animals seen in the shadows of a dark forest.†   (source)
  • My motives were weak: an American-history paper I didn't want to write and the question I'd asked months earlier, Why not kill myself?†   (source)
  • "We have to wonder about Link's motives."†   (source)
  • Sometimes I wonder if we can ever understand the true motives of the people around us.†   (source)
  • "I see two possible motives," said Johnny over his beer.†   (source)
  • Michael Oher might never be sure of Sean Tuohy's deeper motives.†   (source)
  • He had violated no orders, and no one could prove his motive was anything other than protecting his men.†   (source)
  • As always, he had other motives.†   (source)
  • The U.S. has no purely nefarious motives, right?†   (source)
  • Keeping his mind blank and his motives muffled, Adam walked to the desk, inserted the small key into the drawer lock, turned it, and pulled the drawer open.†   (source)
  • "You might think that my motives for coming here were wrong, and maybe you're right.†   (source)
  • Carl was outraged that his motives were being questioned and that his business was being run into the ground.†   (source)
  • But I had less honorable, self-serving motives as well.†   (source)
  • This pyramid has been targeted in the past, even by those who infiltrated our brotherhood with unworthy motives.†   (source)
  • I refer to that strand of opinion in the profession which suggested that any butler with serious aspirations should make it his business to be forever reappraising his employer - scrutinizing the latter's motives, analysing the implications of his views.'†   (source)
  • I have a motive.†   (source)
  • It's important to keep your judgment sharp and your motives pure.†   (source)
  • You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts.†   (source)
  • You have to give everyone ugly motives for everything they do, because ugly motives are all you understand.†   (source)
  • His motives were clear: he never needed her awake and lucid as much as he did during those fumbling moments.†   (source)
  • "Now we see true motives," he sneered.†   (source)
  • There were no deep manipulative ulterior motives.†   (source)
  • Of course, I had another motive as well.†   (source)
  • There was an army of adults, whose motives and movements I just couldn't understand and who made no effort to understand mine.†   (source)
  • He had no motive to hurt Felix, no history of violence, and when the cops searched his dorm room, they found nothing of interest.†   (source)
  • As for the Ministry of Justice, Alex went on, its motives probably weren't pure, but its intentions were correct.†   (source)
  • Henry said evenly, "I'm only trying to make you see beyond men's acts to their motives.†   (source)
  • But my motives have changed over the years.†   (source)
  • "Still don't trust my motives?"†   (source)
  • The crime, clueless and apparently motiveless, had taken place Saturday night, December19, at the Walker home, on a cattle-raising ranch not far from Tallahassee.†   (source)
  • What were their motives?†   (source)
  • I'm not about to analyze my motives for that move, since it'll cause me to think too hard.†   (source)
  • They suspected the motives of his friendliness.†   (source)
  • If anything, Winnie was too trusting of people's motives.†   (source)
  • She knew there were no ulterior motives behind the questions, it was just natural curiosity, but even so, she was never quite sure what to say, other than to state the truth.†   (source)
  • He doesn't make any pretense about his motives, does he?†   (source)
  • The assassin, a man named Rachidi Minzele, was immediately shot and killed, taking with him the only definitive knowledge about the motives behind his deed, which spawned a confounding web of conspiracy theories.†   (source)
  • But I think I always knew, underneath, that my motives weren't entirely pure.†   (source)
  • He was pleased with his own shrewdness in fathoming Gray Stoddard's mysterious motives.†   (source)
  • My motives were so pathetically obvious.†   (source)
  • Obviously, a variety of motives are at work when parents consider a name for their child.†   (source)
  • But his motives were sometimes lost to observers in the inward drifts of his smile.†   (source)
  • I'm not entirely certain of my motives just yet.†   (source)
  • Adam didn't have an ulterior motive; he wasn't pushing hard to win the hearts and minds.†   (source)
  • We're guarding against the enemy's evil motives.†   (source)
  • Mortenson had yet to understand Musharraf's motives.†   (source)
  • They speculated about Winnie Ruth's motives for this recent murder.†   (source)
  • As much as I'd like to question his motives, I also kind of want to believe he's not a completely awful person.†   (source)
  • "Nothing but the lowest motives of greed, selfishness, and hatred have been brought forward to defend these disgraceful Orders," the Globe and Mail noted.†   (source)
  • Expert witnesses on TV analyzed his motives, his past, his possible future murders.†   (source)
  • There was something else I wanted to say about Lestat's motives that night.†   (source)
  • I knew I shouldn't question her motives, but then I had just followed Amma into the swamp to meet Macon Ravenwood, and I would never have seen that coming.†   (source)
  • Vlad helped Henry to a nearby chair and turned to face his worst enemy, a man whose motives he was no longer sure he understood.†   (source)
  • You could say my motives were suspect.†   (source)
  • You question my motives?†   (source)
  • It gave meaning to Seth's motives.†   (source)
  • Baltazar ran as fast as he could, leaving no chance for anyone to question his motives.†   (source)
  • Most of all, I try to be vigilant over the purity of my motives and cautious about my actions.†   (source)
  • "I am speaking of Mianaai's reaction, Mianaai's motives.†   (source)
  • Such frankness just isn't possible because all our motives are impure.†   (source)
  • Hardly murderous motives.†   (source)
  • Therefore my deep-seated motives for wanting to help must themselves take a backseat.†   (source)
  • His concern, Jefferson said, was that his own "mere motives of charity" might be misunderstood.†   (source)
  • My motives weren't entirely altruistic, though.†   (source)
  • She could hear him inhale deeply and suddenly she felt guilty about twisting his words when she wasn't being honest about her own motives for staying.†   (source)
  • After all, Mom didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, at least none that I can figure.†   (source)
  • My motives were good.†   (source)
  • Others allowed him nobler motives, and ar.†   (source)
  • Don't assume my motives are purely selfish," Astaroth cautioned, leaning close.†   (source)
  • O'Hare read this handsome passage out loud: History in her solemn page informs us that the Crusaders were but ignorant and savage men, that their motives were those of bigotry unmitigated, and that their pathway was one of blood and rears.†   (source)
  • My motives were pure.†   (source)
  • He didn't question his motives as he traced the slope of her cheek.†   (source)
  • Your motives are noble, but it is time to end these foolish dreams.†   (source)
  • He was also wary about Antonio's motives.†   (source)
  • I Want to Talk to Ian About Mom and Daddy and Raeanne and Grandma Gardella, whose face keeps trying to materialize behind my eyes, and whose motives for appearing now can't be guessed.†   (source)
  • But I'll be honest and tell you exactly what's wrong with that—my motives.†   (source)
  • The attorney Giuliani squinted at the hut master, trying to fathom his motives.†   (source)
  • Southern motives seem easier to understand.†   (source)
  • Motives will follow.†   (source)
  • The same motives will influence the choice.†   (source)
  • The authorities don't know any of that yet—no numbers, no identities, and no motives.†   (source)
  • "Or perhaps you had other motives," Kemp hissed, again eyeing Agorwal.†   (source)
  • I still wasn't sure about her true motives.†   (source)
  • I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood.†   (source)
  • My motives are purely selfish.†   (source)
  • At least you know there won't be any goddam ulterior motives in this madhouse.†   (source)
  • From his point of view this assumption provided an adequate explanation for most of my otherwise inexplicable activities, and it is just possible — though I hesitate to attribute any such selfish motives to Ootek — that by associating with me he hoped to enlarge his own knowledge of the esoteric practices of his vocation.†   (source)
  • Her own motives were secret.†   (source)
  • It made things clear, it clarified motives and it certainly lifted the entire matter above segregation and desegregation.†   (source)
  • Is it surprising that we doubt his motives?†   (source)
  • …possibly some dim hope that Senator McCarthy, and others of his persuasion, in those days having achieved a certain ascendancy over the rich cretins from across the sea, would somehow refocus attention on the fallen of WWII, especially ones whose corpses had never been found; out of some such labyrinth of assumed motives Tony Jaguar decided he could surely unload his harvest of bones on some American someplace, through his contacts in the "family," ' known these days as Cosa Nostra.†   (source)
  • From story to story, connections between the characters' lives, through their motives or actions, sometimes their dreams, already existed: there to be found.†   (source)
  • I felt that I had, and I was very curious as to the repercussions, almost, but not quite, as curious as I was concerning the motives of my informant.†   (source)
  • I have sometimes wondered if they cherished a vested interest in disorder — but that is unlikely; adults almost always act from conscious 'highest motives' no matter what their behavior.†   (source)
  • He clothed his motives in the names of virtue, and I have wondered whether he ever knew that no gift will ever buy back a man's love when you have removed his self-love.†   (source)
  • Assuming all motives in the world were hate and selfishness, Paxton had guessed right again.†   (source)
  • I respect his motives.†   (source)
  • The motives for such actions they did not know, but what happened they had known.†   (source)
  • Whatever motives he had were concealed beneath a cloak of destructive sarcasm.†   (source)
  • Damn all motives-ulterior ones and others.†   (source)
  • By God, how you can live with a mind that sees nothing but the worst motives behind everything is beyond me!†   (source)
  • I shall at all events retain my own self-respect and a clear conscience, and time will do justice to my motives at least.†   (source)
  • You could grasp the mechanics of the Society you lived in, but not its underlying motives.   (source)
    motives = reasons for what it does
  • I'd want some proof. Motive, to begin with.   (source)
    motive = a reason (for doing something)
  • He paused, realizing for the first time the vagueness of his own motives.   (source)
    motives = reasons for doing something
  • There was certainly no motive.   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing something)
  • The immediate advantages of falsifying the past were obvious, but the ultimate motive was mysterious.   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing it)
  • This motive really consists…   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing something)
  • Supposing that the mechanics of the process have been rightly described, what is the motive for this huge, accurately planned effort to freeze history at a particular moment of time?   (source)
  • But deeper than this lies the original motive, the never-questioned instinct that first led to the seizure of power and brought doublethink, the Thought Police, continuous warfare, and all the other necessary paraphernalia into existence afterwards.   (source)
  • The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives.   (source)
    motives = reasons for doing what they did
  • Motives which were already present to some small extent in the great wars of the early twentieth century have now become dominant and are consciously recognized and acted upon.   (source)
    motives = reasons for doing something
  • The plaster flaked constantly from ceilings and walls, the pipes burst in every hard frost, the roof leaked whenever there was snow, the heating system was usually running at half steam when it was not closed down altogether from motives of economy.   (source)
    motives = reasons
  • I, Van Helsing, with all my purpose and with my motive for hate.   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing something)
  • The story is too connected to be mistaken for a dream, and I have no motive for falsehood.   (source)
  • These motives urged me to comply with his demand.   (source)
    motives = reasons for doing something
  • As there is no motive for concealment, I am permitted to use them, and accordingly send you a transcript, simply omitting technical details of seamanship and supercargo.   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing something)
  • Now here let me say frankly, lest you should think it strange that I have sought the services of one so far off from London instead of some one resident there, that my motive was that no local interest might be served save my wish only, and as one of London residence might, perhaps, have some purpose of himself or friend to serve, I went thus afield to seek my agent, whose labours should be only to my interest.   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing it)
  • He knows well that I am imprisoned, and as he has done it himself, and has doubtless his own motives for it, he would only deceive me if I trusted him fully with the facts.   (source)
    motives = reasons for doing something
  • What she compelled herself to believe—what, finally, she reasoned upon as her motive for continuing a resident of New England—was half a truth, and half a self-delusion.   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing something)
  • His was the profession at that era in which intellectual ability displayed itself far more than in political life; for—leaving a higher motive out of the question it offered inducements powerful enough in the almost worshipping respect of the community, to win the most aspiring ambition into its service.   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing things)
  • We are all unhappy; but will not that be an additional motive for you, my son, to return and be our comforter?   (source)
    motive = reason (for doing something)
  • When actuated by selfish and vicious motives, I asked you to undertake my unfinished work, and I renew this request now, when I am only induced by reason and virtue.   (source)
    motives = reasons for doing things
  • They know our infantine dispositions, which, however they may be afterwards modified, are never eradicated; and they can judge of our actions with more certain conclusions as to the integrity of our motives.   (source)
  • I remembered too well the treatment I had suffered the night before from the barbarous villagers, and resolved, whatever course of conduct I might hereafter think it right to pursue, that for the present I would remain quietly in my hovel, watching and endeavouring to discover the motives which influenced their actions.   (source)
    motives = things (that are a reason)
  • People will kill first and wonder about their motives later.†   (source)
  • Wondering why he even bothered to dissect its motives.†   (source)
  • As for Crake's motives, I can only speculate.†   (source)
  • "Of course it is, but it gives someone a motive, doesn't it?†   (source)
  • She suspects the motives of all mainlanders, looks askance at their apparent acts of goodwill.†   (source)
  • Watching him tend to Mrs. Healey, I would never again have reason to question his motives.†   (source)
  • As to whether or not her motives were really as simple as this, I leave the reader to decide.†   (source)
  • The desperation melted and, for the briefest of moments, the ulterior motives were gone.†   (source)
  • These three powerful motives propelled the ETO movement to develop rapidly.†   (source)
  • This investigation obviously turned on the Tuohys' motives, and his.†   (source)
  • The blacks know that the Adlers are doing something for them, whatever their motives may be.†   (source)
  • Mentat training was supposed to give a man the power to see motives.†   (source)
  • Yet again, she could only wonder what Elena's motives actually were.†   (source)
  • If he is a wizard or sorcerer, who knows what his motives might have been for settling in Carvahall?†   (source)
  • About Michael's motives, or his thinking, SJ couldn't have cared less.†   (source)
  • I would have to be on constant alert from now on, watching for signs of what his real motives were.†   (source)
  • There is no measuring Muad'Dib's motives by ordinary standards.†   (source)
  • They say that there is no evidence of a sexual motive for the killing.†   (source)
  • There was nothing here that explained Elena's motives.†   (source)
  • "If he thought it was his baby, it gives him a motive, doesn't it?"†   (source)
  • "So you must explain that to Clark the next time he inquires about your sister's motives."†   (source)
  • And Yueh thought: His mother would surely wonder at my motives.†   (source)
  • The "sources" also speculate that this could be a motive for her murder.†   (source)
  • I don't trust your Bene Gesserit motives," he said.†   (source)
  • And I know, because I saw that kiss, that he has a motive to kill her.†   (source)
  • And I don't say this, either it gives Scott a motive, too.†   (source)
  • Of course, he might not know that he has a motive, but ….†   (source)
  • Question my judgment, if you must, but do not question my motives.†   (source)
  • It is hard to tell just how sane Carrie's motives were by that time.†   (source)
  • Ultimately the motives do not really matter, do they?†   (source)
  • He deserved that much, whatever his motives.†   (source)
  • Nick's motives—aside from a natural impulse to be where he should not—involved Max's bed.†   (source)
  • Like what you did for Amir, except my dad's motives weren't as good."†   (source)
  • You left out one of those basic human motives for violence before.†   (source)
  • As soon as Pilar saw her come in she was aware of Meme's hidden motives.†   (source)
  • Blomkvist did not speculate about Bjurman's motives.†   (source)
  • Even when they're helpful, they always have their own motives.†   (source)
  • You haven't found out about my ulterior motives yet."†   (source)
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show 1 examples with meaning too rare to warrant focus
  • He needed something to spring the spear forward, some way to make it move faster than the fish, some motive force.   (source)
    motive = something that causes motion in an inanimate object
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