All 8 Uses

motive
in
The Lone Star Ranger
(Auto-generated)

The fact caused him surprise, and he began to think back, to take note of his late actions and their motives.†
Chpt 2

motives = reasons for doing something
Not once since this daring motive had stirred him had he been haunted by the phantom of Bain beside his bed.†
Chpt 7 *

motive = reason (for doing something)
The motive of this deadly action was not personal, and somehow that made a difference.†
Chpt 9
First it had been partly from a human feeling to succor an unfortunate woman, and partly a motive to establish clearly to himself that he was no outlaw.†
Chpt 9
He reasoned finally that the desperation of crime had been forced upon him, if not its motive; and that if driven, there was no limit to his possibilities.†
Chpt 13
There were two motives in Duane's action—one of anger, and the other a desire to make a friend of this man Laramie, whom Duane believed could tell him much.†
Chpt 16

motives = reasons for doing something
Almost he felt that he was guilty of such motive.†
Chpt 16

motive = reason (for doing something)
The motive behind all this laxity isn't plain to me—yet.†
Chpt 16

Definitions:

(1) (motive as in: What is her motive?)
a reason for doing something
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Less commonly, motive can refer to something that causes motion in an inanimate object. Even less commonly, it can refer to a distinctive feature in music, art, or literature.