noun · academic
motive
UK/ˈməʊtɪv/US/ˈmoʊtɪv/MO·tive
the reason or intention behind someone's action
Examples
“Investigators sought to establish the suspect's motive for the attack.”
“A clear motive is crucial when analysing criminal behaviour in academic studies.”
“Economic motives often underpin migration patterns discussed in the article.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although economic gain was an evident motive for the policy change, qualitative interviews revealed a complex mix of social and political incentives.”
Collocations
- underlying motive
- primary motive
- motive for
Word family
Common mistakes
His motive to study was success.→His motive for studying was to succeed.
Police searched for many motive.→Police searched for many motives.
Say it for a higher band
5reason→6cause→7+motive
Synonyms
reason
Easily confused
motivation
“While her motivation for studying was high, investigators questioned the motive behind her sudden resignation.”
Related words
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In Sublist 6
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