mo·ti·vate/`motəˏvet; ˈməʊtɪveɪt/ v [T] 1 to be the reason why someone does something 促使〔某人做某事〕,构成〔某人做某事〕的动机: The theft was motivated by greed. 这宗盗窃案是由贪婪引起的。 2 to make someone want to achieve something, especially by encouraging them to work harder 激发,激励〔某人〕