Motive

What do we mean by motive?

An emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action. noun

A motif in art, literature, or music. noun

Causing or able to cause motion. adjective

Causing an action. adjective

To act on as a motive, or with the force of a motive; prompt; instigate.

Causing motion; having power to move some one or something; tending to produce motion.

Moving or impelling force in a figurative sense.

That which moves, as a locomotive; in railroading, the locomotives collectively of a railroad: as, the super-intendent of the motive power.

A mental state or force which induces an act of volition; a determining impulse: specifically, a desire for something; a gratification contemplated as the final cause of a certain action of the one desiring it. noun

The design or object one has in any action; intention; purpose; the ideal object of desire. noun

One who or that which is the cause of something; an originator. noun

Movement. noun

Prevailing design. noun

. Motion; proposition. noun

Synonyms Motive, Reason, Inducement, Incentive, Impulse, consideration, prompting, stimulus. The differences among the first five of these words are suggested by the derivations. A motive is that which moves one to act, addressing the will, as though directly, and determining the choice; it is the common philosophical term, and may be collective: as, the whole field of motive. A reason is that which addresses the rational nature by way of argument for either belief or choice. An inducement leads one on by his desire for good: as, to hold out an additional inducement. An incentive urges one on like martial music. An impulse drives one on, but is transitory. noun

Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move. adjective

A natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover. adjective

To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move. transitive verb

That which moves; a mover. noun

That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object; motivation{2}. noun

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.

A motif.

A motif; a theme or subject, especially one that is central to the work or often repeated.

Words that are spelled similarly to motive:
motive, emotive, votive, motile, mutive, motiv, fotive, motivo, -motive, motiva, motie.

Words that are triggered by (strongly associated with) the word motive:
motives, depot, locomotive, robbery, murder, revenge, power, diesel, steam, rpm, desire, unclear, killing, assassination, crime, killer, profit, behind, intent, kill, shooting, victim, intention, crimes, opportunity, suicide, alleged.

Words that rhyme with motive:
emotive, automotive, locomotive, votive, fotive, railway locomotive, electric locomotive, tank locomotive, diesel locomotive, steam locomotive, nonautomotive, afloat of, airmotive, anecdote of, antidote of, asymptote of, banknote of, bloat of, boat of, choate of, coat of, cote of, dakota of, devote of, dote of, float of, footnote of, goat of, groat of, gunboat of, hote of, iota of, keynote of, lakota of, lifeboat of, minnesota of, moat of, mote of, note of, oat of, overcoat of, petticoat of, quota of, quote of, raincoat of, remote of, rota of, rote of, sailboat of, scapegoat of, smote of, steamboat of, throat of, tote of, toyota of, undercoat of, vogt of, vote of, wrote of.

Adjectives that are often used to describe motive:
ulterior, real, only, primary, strong, powerful, main, chief, political, religious, economic, principal, selfish, sole, sufficient, strongest, true, possible, personal, underlying, dominant, additional, prime, higher, original, stronger, basic, leading, moral, central, adequate, apparent, hidden, bad, sinister, double, secret, fundamental, obvious, immediate, unworthy, improper, rational, secondary, speculative, highest, ultimate, interested, unconscious, conscious, pure, deeper, predominant, compelling, noble, wrong, evil, precautionary, conceivable, altruistic, reasonable, controlling, psychological, ethical, corrupt.

Nouns that are often described by the adjective motive:
power, force, forces, game, games, division, powers, hunting, temperament, situations, situation, strength, clause, principle, spring, engines, steam, utilitarianism, explanations, satisfaction, interaction, atpases, engine, dispositions, diesels, clauses, corporation, machines, magazine, goal, springs, scores, conflict, machine, bargaining, natures, interactions, mongering, column, conflicts, talk, millwrights, motivation, unknown, apparatus, monger, fur, faculty, molecules, arousal, mental, none, grinder, architecture, vital.

Consonant match to motive:
mat of, mate of, matt of, matte of, might of, mite of, moat of, moot of, mote of.

Words that sound like motive:
motive, motiv, mightve, motives, emotive, moating, native, nativ, made of, mota, motived, motivo, motivar, mohave, meeting, moto, mating, motif, moti, matting, metting, meting, amative, motu, motie, mooting, moty, motis, miting, noting, meta, mata, maeve, mete, matta, metta, moda, mita, mehta, motta, motet, moted, must-have, maita, meta-, moated, mighta, motus, mutta, meata, metaph, motas, matai, mozi, mozzi, motory, massive, matic, meaty, mated, matey, matty, matted, mattie, mateo, metis, matteo, mato, maty, madding, metic, matie, meatus, mati, matti, matto, matis, meted, emoting, mattis, meto, mateer, matus, mattick, me too, meti, metoo, metty, matu, matice, meato, mad itch, mai tai, mattu, metu, mattei, matif, me two, know of, matv.