Synonym: basis, cause, ground, motivation, prompting, reason. Similar words: motivate, motion, promotion, give notice, active, native, incentive, relative. Meaning: ['məʊtɪv] 
n. 1. 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 2. a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music. adj. 1. causing or able to cause motion 2. impelling to action.
n. 1. 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 2. a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music. adj. 1. causing or able to cause motion 2. impelling to action. 
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31. He claims he just wants to help Lisa but I suspect he has an ulterior motive.
32. Police have ruled out robbery as a motive for the killing.
33. The police have excluded robbery as a motive for the murder.
34. She definitely had an ulterior motive in offering to help.
35. What was their motive in setting fire to the building?
36. The motive power of trains is usually steam or electricity.
37. I did have some question as to his motive in coming.
38. It's not the kind of thing he'd do unless he had an ulterior motive .
39. There is no doubt about the motive behind it all.
40. The motive of the executions would be to instil fear.
41. I'd say he had a very strong motive for wanting her dead.
42. I put it to you that you are the only person who had a motive for the crime.
43. The police have excluded theft as a motive for the murder.
44. Even if we postulate that she had a motive for the murder(sentencedict.com), that still doesn't mean she did it.
45. Can we assign jealousy as the motive for the crime?
46. The police could not find a motive for the murder.
47. I have an ulterior motive in offering to help you.
48. Their motive is money, and they will stop at nothing to get it.
49. He gives a lot of money to charity, but personal aggrandizement/self-aggrandizement is his motive.
50. Does he have a motive for lying about where he was?
51. We needn't assume that there was a sinister motive for what she did.
52. Sheila had an ulterior motive for trying to help Stan.
53. After a crime, suspicion naturally falls on the person who has a motive for it.
54. The police believe the motive for this murder was jealousy.
55. The real motive for the enforced resignations remained unclear.
56. Nothing mattered except the profit motive.
57. There was no official word on a possible motive.
58. Police are puzzled at the motive for the attack.
59. Desire is a motive force, an attractive force.
60. An overwhelmingly strong motive made the ship anchor there.
More similar words: motivate, motion, promotion, give notice, active, native, incentive, relative, actively, narrative, objective, sensitive, deceptive, detective, executive, cognitive, supportive, cooperative, innovative, diminutive, collective, productive, distinctive, attractive, protective, perspective, relatively, initiative, effectively, alternative.