toggle menu
menu
vocabulary
1000+ books

motivate
in a sentence

show 187 more with this conextual meaning
  • Or perhaps he was motivated by the same vanity that had consumed him in wartime, and hoped to use his vile history, and his victims, to draw attention to himself, maybe even win admiration for his contrition.†   (source)
  • "Chris would use the spiritual aspect to try to motivate us," recalls Eric Hathaway, another friend on the team.†   (source)
  • That was one of the motivating forces pushing Trisolaran civilization to tenaciously come back again and again.†   (source)
  • I'm not sure what motivated this change.†   (source)
  • She hoped that would motivate Bill to make some changes.†   (source)
  • It seemed the captain was more motivated than Sophie had anticipated.†   (source)
  • And if you're…properly motivated.†   (source)
  • People all over the country seemed motivated to connect from a common place of tremendous compassion.†   (source)
  • It's why the Whisperer has so much appeal to Messengers — it soothes their fears, and Mr. Curtain uses that to motivate them.†   (source)
  • So Kerr's testimony might have been motivated by spite.†   (source)
  • My fears for Pete were motivated by dread.†   (source)
  • He's bound here by this connection, motivated by emotions.†   (source)
  • She had probably gone to some effort to skip a grade, motivated—as she always was—to get the better of her brothers.†   (source)
  • The vision of lying serenely on a bed of fire under palm trees in my white sari had motivated all the weeks of sleepless, half-starved passage, the numbed surrender to various men for the reward of an orange, a blanket, a slice of cheese.†   (source)
  • I say guilt, gentlemen, because it was guilt that motivated her.†   (source)
  • And for the first time in his professional career, he was not just motivated.†   (source)
  • Many privileged Chinese chose to stay, however, motivated by a sincere belief that Mao Ze-dong would bring great changes to a nation weakened by centuries of corrupt government and foreign invasion.†   (source)
  • I think it's truthful, and I hope it inspires and motivates people to tackle any obstacles in their lives.†   (source)
  • She inspired me, encouraged me, and motivated me.†   (source)
  • I just can't seem to get motivated.†   (source)
  • Maxine tells him they aren't far from Canada, that if they're motivated they could drive into Montreal for the day.†   (source)
  • What motivated such a monstrous punishment was Mama Elena's conviction that Tita, in league with Nacha, had deliberately ruined Rosaura's wedding by mixing an emetic into the cake.†   (source)
  • It will motivate you and our friends to do everything possible to secure my release.†   (source)
  • I opened my eyes and saw a room full of flowers, and their scent motivated me further.†   (source)
  • The Englishmen who landed there were motivated mainly by a hunt for profit.†   (source)
  • My point is that love is the most powerful motivator in the world.†   (source)
  • Indeed, it is often the most motivated people who are immigrants.†   (source)
  • I don't think it's completely racially motivated, however.†   (source)
  • Worrying about being assigned to sea duty was a big motivator during BUD/S.†   (source)
  • They no longer appear to be motivated by human logic.†   (source)
  • He didn't feel there was any point in trying to motivate them at that point; mainly he was trying to calm them down.†   (source)
  • Union troops and detectives were swarming the countryside, motivated in part by the enormous reward being offered by the War Department.†   (source)
  • "He's motivated."†   (source)
  • Much of their time is spent motivating their crew members.†   (source)
  • It's capitalism: Cutthroat, profit-motivated and expedient.†   (source)
  • A great deal of nonsense has been spoken and written in recent years concerning his lordship and the prominent role he came to play in great affairs, and some utterly ignorant reports have had it that he was motivated by egotism, or else arrogance.†   (source)
  • His own explorations have suggested to him that prostitutes are motivated less by depravity than by poverty, but nevertheless they must appear as their clients wish to imagine them.†   (source)
  • Maybe he'll be motivated to keep their acquaintance, and if so, I can use it to advance his recovery as much as that's possible.†   (source)
  • She is not reward motivated.†   (source)
  • Do you honestly expect me to believe that you and your brother were motivated to come to the Bone City because of a distress call, and not because you wanted to free Jonathan from what you clearly consider unnecessary confinement?†   (source)
  • All at once she burst into flower, which left her floating in a limbo of happiness and which motivated her studies, for she was always at the head of her class so that she would not lose the privilege of going out on weekends.†   (source)
  • Is it possible that even he doesn't know what motivated the Emperor in this?†   (source)
  • Her constant interest and unflagging encouragement kept me motivated.†   (source)
  • What was a motivating prize when you had everything?†   (source)
  • He'd be a knowledge-motivated person.†   (source)
  • He found her carnal and motivating.†   (source)
  • Reaching the Chairman was the one hope that had motivated me all through my training.†   (source)
  • With economically or ideologically motivated crimes, you have to know the background, and things can get complicated.†   (source)
  • Knowing I need to participate but having a hard time motivating myself, I feel him through his pants.†   (source)
  • This is what has motivated me in all that I have done in relation to the charges made against me in this case.†   (source)
  • Psychopath with definite sadistic tendencies, probably motivated by an unreasoning egomania.†   (source)
  • They were motivated, and even the slackers on the team began working hard.†   (source)
  • Motivated by a morbid curiosity, Nasuada examined the face of the man who had tried to kill her.†   (source)
  • And his kisses were the same way, only now, instead of being driven by fear, they were motivated by what felt like reverence.†   (source)
  • They are more socially motivated.†   (source)
  • He was a tall, good-looking, smart, tough man who knew how to motivate people.†   (source)
  • One of my dearest friends from college, Kate, wrote this to the judge: I believe that her decision to enter into criminal activity was partially motivated by a sense that she was alone in the world and had to look out for herself.†   (source)
  • In the beginning, you need to pee; in the middle, you do; in the end, through romance and adventure, your winky is saved from the jaws of a hungry lion by the pluck of a young girl motivated by her abiding love for giant winkies.†   (source)
  • Young men are motivated by hope, not fear.†   (source)
  • Even when Aidid's militia got its butt kicked, Radio Mogadishu broadcasted cries of victory, keeping his own people motivated and encouraging other Somalis to join his winning team.†   (source)
  • Other kids might not have liked the pressure that Javier put on me, but I found it motivating.†   (source)
  • "Just a little taste of what you'll face at BUD/S," said the motivator.†   (source)
  • But then the Russian judges complained that this ballet was politically motivated.†   (source)
  • She was motivated by a simple desire.†   (source)
  • I expect the tears to return once the fog clears from my mind, but instead I feel motivated, renewed.†   (source)
  • It wasn't cruelty that motivated Mike; it was the larger goal of saving lives.†   (source)
  • Defenders of the restrictions denied they were motivated by racial considerations.†   (source)
  • He could feel the skillful hand of fate motivating him imperatively.†   (source)
  • The expectations here were much higher than he'd been used to-the kids were motivated.†   (source)
  • Perhaps that was what motivated Sabina's distaste for all extremism.†   (source)
  • "I'm sure we can find some way to motivate you."†   (source)
  • Nothing like a virus to motivate the right people.†   (source)
  • Motivated, I started out of the ACLU office, then paused.†   (source)
  • You have motivated all of Mexico to succeed.†   (source)
  • They pretended not to see me, though they had certainly noticed me in the street and knew what motivated my entrance.†   (source)
  • Sex isn't the strong motivator it used to be, too cheap, too easy to come by.†   (source)
  • , for I fear my husband's actions were motivated by disapproval of Douglas's private choices rather than the man's business wherewithal.†   (source)
  • An operation of that type could never have been kept secret if it were politically motivated.†   (source)
  • And so it was perhaps revenge for this that motivated the man's closing remarks.†   (source)
  • Love motivated Joe.†   (source)
  • It was missions like these and the fact that they are the first to get the call that motivated me.†   (source)
  • That kept us motivated.†   (source)
  • It required men to be motivated, not by personal gain, but by love for their brothers.†   (source)
  • What were the things that motivated me?†   (source)
  • If people don't understand English, they will be motivated to learn, he believes, because some Hispanics are "impeded" from learning by U.S. government policies, such as the translation of documents, bilingual education, and bilingual election ballots.†   (source)
  • He just needs to be motivated.†   (source)
  • It was only after I had mollified a rowdy assemblage of twenty or so Peruvians who worked for Korean greengrocers (they were protesting low wages and poor working conditions) that Jenkins and some others identified me as being capable and motivated.†   (source)
  • It was politically motivated, you know.†   (source)
  • It was the visceral counterpart of retribution for invasion and destruction that increasingly motivated Confederate soldiers.†   (source)
  • Envy, Pride Motivate Opposition†   (source)
  • That thought motivates Booth as he walks.†   (source)
  • High-ranking representatives of the town made important speeches, motivating the citizens into bursts of enthusiastic applause.†   (source)
  • In London, Tel Aviv, Amman, and Paris, highly trained and motivated professional intelligence officers stood motionless before computer screens, staring at a tangle of gorse at the base of a concrete power pole.†   (source)
  • Sometimes people think that you should motivate your kids or employees by yelling at them when they fail or pointing out all the things they did wrong, but just the opposite is true.†   (source)
  • What motivated them—ideology, history, tradition, religion, politics, fear, discipline?†   (source)
  • You don't really know Nathan, don't know what motivates him, other than that he's obviously very much attracted to you, to say the least."†   (source)
  • We must not only be motivated to build a better America, we must know how to do it.†   (source)
  • He was not motivated by fear; he really believed in what he was saying.†   (source)
  • The old Jacksonian nationalism which had motivated his entire career now faced its severest trial.†   (source)
  • What motivated the man to decide it was time to move from here to there was unclear.†   (source)
  • Fear, Langdon now realized, was an intense motivator.†   (source)
  • It was more than academic thrill that kept her motivated.†   (source)
  • No one has ever doubted that Peeta's defiance was motivated by love.†   (source)
  • But for better or worse, I am not motivated by kindness.†   (source)
  • …. motivating people, forcing them to your will, gives you a cynical attitude toward humanity.†   (source)
  • He'd no longer be a grade-motivated person.†   (source)
  • All Perpich would say is that I have to get motivated.†   (source)
  • The music motivated us and gave us a source of both strength and inspiration.†   (source)
  • Lori, on the other hand, was a hobbyist, motivated more by love of the breed than by profit.†   (source)
  • He enjoyed building but was now motivated to learn true skills.†   (source)
  • I heard you talking to Johanna about what motivated Jeanine's attack on Abnegation.†   (source)
  • Both men, however, knew how to find and motivate the right talent.†   (source)
  • Those would have implied I was motivated by a kind of passion.†   (source)
  • But I am still in the dark on what motivated him to betray the Careers.†   (source)
  • This soldier's identity should motivate you to get it right."†   (source)
  • Social psychologists have shown that group belief is a powerful motivator in performance.†   (source)
  • My fears for Ty were motivated by affection.†   (source)
  • In fact, I think his visits are largely motivated by his need for a nap.†   (source)
  • He believed the best way to motivate people is to have fun.†   (source)
  • It motivated Mary to dig a little deeper into Wes's new income flow.†   (source)
  • He was always telling kids to get motivated.†   (source)
  • Marcus said that information the Abnegation possessed motivated Jeanine's attack on Abnegation.†   (source)
  • It's not cruelty, maybe, but a desire to understand, that motivates them.†   (source)
  • The lady was a highly intelligent, highly motivated tiger, and her message got through.†   (source)
  • Not really a motivating factor, if you know what I mean.†   (source)
  • She understood what motivated most of her friends—even her brother, Nico, who wasn't easy to read.†   (source)
  • Mira thinks the killings may be motivated by control, but I wonder.†   (source)
  • His horror was primarily motivated by the voice.†   (source)
  • We don't need your threats to motivate us, Martyn said, walking in from Woref s left.†   (source)
  • If so, your killer is in part motivated by his anger at God.†   (source)
  • Jared was at least as strong as Kyle, but Kyle was more motivated.†   (source)
  • I had to keep finding new ways to motivate others.†   (source)
  • "I'm not sure it's love that's motivating him, though."†   (source)
  • Ambition and jealousy motivated its most powerful members.†   (source)
  • He is known as a leader, the motivator of his team.†   (source)
  • With the world ending tomorrow morning, he was highly motivated.†   (source)
  • NICK: Oh …. well, the same things that …. uh …. motivated you, I imagine.†   (source)
  • He's more… motivated now," Geoffrey answered.†   (source)
  • Admittedly, she was motivated by more than pure investigative curiosity.†   (source)
  • The rest of the coaches also worked to motivate us.†   (source)
  • In these cases, the people's representatives may feel the same spirit that motivated the offense.†   (source)
  • We, however, needed another impetus to motivate us.†   (source)
  • Abbe Mably says the Union could not have survived without a motivator from within the provinces.†   (source)
  • "Your man is motivated by hatred and jealousy," the priest said.†   (source)
  • Not all people are self-motivated to be the best they can be.†   (source)
  • Even opponents of the new Constitution may be motivated by upright intentions.†   (source)
  • It was just another thing that motivated me to work longer and harder.†   (source)
  • The desire for a reward motivates human conduct.†   (source)
  • Safety from external danger is the most powerful motivator of national conduct.†   (source)
  • He was exceedingly motivated to get clients to the summit, especially a celebrity client like Sandy Hill Pittman.†   (source)
  • The co-worker says that being in the country illegally motivates him to do good work and keep his employment stable.†   (source)
  • Either scenario explains how the Church might be motivated to launch a preemptive attack against the Priory.†   (source)
  • Even so, I thought there was more than caution motivating Owen to keep me working in the monument shop for the entire summer of '63.†   (source)
  • The novelty of a pretrial capital defendant on death row seemed to motivate other prisoners to get in Walter's ear every day.†   (source)
  • Whatever motivated him, Lopsang's decision to tow a client didn't seem like a particularly serious mistake at the time.†   (source)
  • Karr said the administration blew off his suggestion that Nathaniel had a mental condition, suggesting instead that his problem was racially motivated attitude.†   (source)
  • Tim Johnson was advancing at a snail's pace, but he was not playing or sniffing at foliage: he seemed dedicated to one course and motivated by an invisible force that was inching him toward us.†   (source)
  • Indeed, this expectation was one of the strategic considerations motivating the creation of the Production and Construction Corps.†   (source)
  • But she told them to be patient, it would be theirs when she died, which wouldn't be long now, and she said this kindly, to sharpen the bite of it, and to remind them how much they were motivated by money, money they spent without having, which she had never done, always saving for a rainy day, even if only a little.†   (source)
  • Over the years, anytime Craig showed signs of discouragement I was there to motivate him, to let him know I was with him and that we could face anything together because God was in charge of our lives.†   (source)
  • You were wondering about that before, what could possibly motivate me …. what she was feeling so needlessly guilty about.†   (source)
  • Despite his failure to see a solution, the prospect of death seemed to motivate every cell in his body to find one.†   (source)
  • They were his children, in some sense: all of them motivated by his success, his youth, his ability to see ideas into execution, while remaining himself, perfectly aloof and yet furiously productive.†   (source)
  • On the ground, it crawls to its next tree at the rate of 250 metres an hour, when motivated, which is 440 times slower than a motivated cheetah.†   (source)
  • Dell tried to think of things to motivate her, or at the very least ease her distress, but so far, he had been a failure.†   (source)
  • Owen used to say that the most disturbing thing about the antiwar movement—against the Vietnam War—was that he suspected self-interest motivated many of the protesters; he thought that if the issue of many of the protesters being drafted was removed from the issue of the war, there would be very little protest at all.†   (source)
  • All of my friends planned to go to college; that I had such motivated friends was due to Mamaw's influence.†   (source)
  • For example, when I used to think about exercise as aerobic conditioning or muscle strengthening, I found it very difficult to motivate myself to do it.†   (source)
  • Motivated by a misguided desire to help his fellow man, Wilson had concluded that climbing Everest would be the perfect way to publicize his belief that the myriad ills of humankind could be cured through a combination of fasting and faith in the powers of God.†   (source)
  • What saved him from the wrath of everyone around him was partly an unwillingness to give any support to the enemies of the college, but also partly a begrudging understanding that all of his troublemaking was ultimately motivated by a mandate they were never free from themselves: the mandate to speak the rational truth.†   (source)
  • The smells of antiseptic and astringent seemed to energize him, and the feelings generated by human trauma and fear seemed to motivate him.†   (source)
  • For several years he floated from one crisis to another until the overdose death of a close friend motivated him to crawl his way back to sobriety.†   (source)
  • I believe that economic incentive is crucial as a motivator, especially in a consumer-driven society.†   (source)
  • Rachel Vasquez, the manager of the Belmont Little Caesars, takes her job seriously and does her best to motivate crew members.†   (source)
  • For all I know, I'm on live television at this very moment while commentators try to analyze what could possibly have motivated me to kill Coin.†   (source)
  • …of Owen Meany's voice speaking out in the vestry office—not to mention the forceful revelation of my mother's "murder weapon," the "instrument of death"—was not so much a demonstration of the power of God as it was an indication of the power of the subconscious; namely, the Rev. Mr. Merrill thought that bath of us had been "subconsciously motivated"—in my case, to use Owen Meany's voice, or to make Mr. Merrill use it; and in Mr. Merrill's case, to confess to me that he was my father.†   (source)
  • Get motivated.†   (source)
  • I know Mom's motives were not entirely selfless: She (like all of us) was motivated by the desire for love and companionship.†   (source)
  • The courses seemed esoteric and disconnected from the race and poverty issues that had motivated me to consider the law in the first place.†   (source)
  • During that period, women entered the workforce in record numbers, often motivated less by a feminist perspective than by a need to pay the bills.†   (source)
  • Our time in Chicago with other exonerated former death row prisoners was energizing for Walter, who seemed more motivated than ever to talk about his experience.†   (source)
  • But an IBP internal corporate memo from 1997 suggests that the company's large investment in such technologies has been motivated less by a genuine concern for the health and well-being of American consumers than by other considerations.†   (source)
  • The Iowa Supreme Court concluded that the lies she told in this medical case, as well as in others, had been partly motivated by IBP's financial incentive program, which gave staff members bonuses and prizes when the number of lost workdays was kept low.†   (source)
  • You're not as motivated as I'd hoped.†   (source)
  • The spontaneous decision to argue with that same co-worker is made unconsciously—by a different part of the brain and motivated by a different part of your personality.†   (source)
  • I was motivated.†   (source)
  • Is that what's motivating Caleb now?†   (source)
▲ show less (of above)