motive

Plural: motives

Noun

• the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
  • "he acted with the best of motives"
• a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
• a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
• An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.
• An incentive to act in a particular way; a reason or emotion that makes one want to do something; anything that prompts a choice of action.
• A limb or other bodily organ that can move.
• Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour.
• Alternative form of motif.

Adjective Satellite

• causing or able to cause motion
  • "a motive force"
  • "motive power"
• impelling to action; - Arthur Pap
  • "motive pleas"

Verb

Verb Forms: motived, motiving, motives

• To motivate or provide with an incentive.
• To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

Adj

• Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move
• Relating to motion and/or to its cause

Examples

• A high-scoring word can MOTIVE a player to try for even bigger bingos.
• a motive argument
• If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.
• motive power
• No-one could understand why she had hidden the shovel; her motives were obscure at best.
• What would his motive be for burning down the cottage?

Synonyms

motif, motivating, motivation, motivative, motor, need, ambulatory, animate, kinetic, mobile, motile, motional, motivate, motive, movable, moving, vagile

Anagrams of motive