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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151. That, I believe, is the motive behind what they are doing.
152. Enjoy being radiant; who cares about the motive for the compliment?
153. Investigators have not found a convincing motive for the crime.
154. Police said yesterday there appeared to be no sectarian motive for the killing.
155. This critique of industrialism is, therefore, in attacking the profit motive, a critique of capitalism.
156. Moreover, there are certain mysteries that weave through life itself, human motive and human desire.
157. But it was not the Crown's invariable motive for summoning a Parliament.
158. Comparison and discrimination between children and schools is the essential motive for ranking children.
159. One motive, of course,(http://sentencedict.com/motive.html) was his desperate need for some congenial company.
160. Other than the vision, no motive for the crime is apparent.
161. The attempt to make such distinctions clear was a strong motive behind the whole idea of formalism.
162. Police have said they know of no motive for the shooting.
163. The question of motive hangs over these first pages, and over the whole novel.
164. However, if the prosecution does not raise it as a motive for murder the defence is unlikely to challenge this.
165. However, for Guangming Ribao, all her appeals to students to end the demonstrations had an ulterior motive.
166. At what point does a state have a motive for keeping the smoking rolls up?
167. She would at once understand the motive and, however coldly she dealt with me, she would understand the necessity.
168. She was suspicious. Was there an ulterior motive behind his request?
169. But she gave herself up to police and told them her real motive was to win attention for emotional problems.
170. For everyone there is a problem in understanding the nature of the crime when no motive can be identified.
171. The Motive Power depot at Derby Road had been disused since 1966 when the last steam locomotives were withdrawn from service.
172. Careful investigation had revealed no other possible motive for the killing.
173. Money to help pay for ambitious future plans was at least one motive for seeking publication.
174. She felt suddenly sickened, reminded of her real motive for taking this job with Luke.
175. The two contentions can seem analogous, but the second concerns overt motive, the first a highly arguable interpretation.
176. The motive behind the killing of Agnes Law was robbery.
177. There was no motive, and Greg had no notion whether he was around the house at the time or not.
178. Police are not sure whether the motive for Mrs Olds's murder had a political slant or was robbery.
179. Prosecutors contend the motive was hatred and greed for the parents' estate, once valued at $ 14 million.
180. The fact that gratitude is the motive of praise could not be more clearly expressed.
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.