motivate

The word “motivate” means to give someone a reason or incentive to act; to inspire them into action. In plain terms, to give someone a reason or push to do something.

“Motivate” is pronounced MOH-tih-vayt (/ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “motivate” used in a sentence: “A good bonus scheme can motivate a whole sales team.”

“Motivate” is a verb.

The word “motivate” comes from Latin. From motive + the verb-forming suffix -ate, ultimately from Latin movēre ("to move").

“Motivate” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Motivate means to give someone a reason or incentive to act, often tied to a specific goal or reward, while inspire more often refers to stirring emotion or creativity without necessarily pointing to a concrete incentive. The two overlap heavily, but motivate leans toward practical drive to act, and inspire leans toward emotional or creative influence.

Motivate means to give someone a reason or incentive to act, while encourage means to give someone confidence or support to continue doing something they may already be doing. Motivation often supplies the initial push, whereas encouragement sustains effort already underway.

Yes, motivate is a transitive verb that takes a person as its direct object, as in "motivate him to study" or "motivate the team." It is commonly followed by an infinitive phrase describing the action the person is being inspired to take.