All 7 Uses

motive
in
Where the Crawdads Sing
(Edited)

There's motive, and Lamar's had other run-ins wif tha law.
p. 61.9

motive = a reason (for doing something)
Beats walkin' around looking for some guy wearin' a red wool sweater with a motive attached.
p. 140.8

motive = reason (for doing something)
Even that's a stretch for motive, but why take the necklace when it could connect her smack-dab to the crime?
p. 173.9

motive = a reason (for doing something)
Four, motive: the woman wronged.
p. 250.7
"A better motive might help," Joe said.
p. 250.8

motive = reason (for doing something)
Joe said, "Well, now we've got motive."
p. 252.9

motive = a reason (for doing something)
But in this case, there was no murder weapon, no fingerprints or footprints, so Eric intended to begin with motive.
p. 267.5 *

motive = the reason for doing something

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.