How to Use motive in a Sentence

motive

1 of 3 noun
  • She denied that her offer to help was based on selfish motives.
  • Their motive in running away was to avoid being punished.
  • I think he's guilty of the crime. He had the motive, the means, and the opportunity.
  • All of them have their own motives.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The town threw out many motives.
    — Sophia Zhang, Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 June 2026
  • Noem said the motive is not yet known.
    — Nbc News, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
  • What was your own sense of their motives?
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Fahim’s motive for the killing was not clear.
    — Sean Emery, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
  • My motive then had been to impress him with my good taste.
    — Bee Wilson, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Who killed all the women and what was their motive?
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
  • What is your motive in writing the book?
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
  • What was the motive of the shooter?
    — Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
  • The motive for the crime was still unclear.
    — CBS News, 18 May 2026
  • New labels won’t change their motives or our habits.
    — Tamar Haspel, Washington Post, 20 May 2026
  • Still, our motives have been much more often right than wrong.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
  • No motive has been revealed so far.
    — ABC News, 12 June 2026
  • No motive has been revealed so far.
    — ABC News, 3 June 2026
  • Musk’s motives are not hard to discern.
    — Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2025
  • There's no word yet on how the children died or a motive in the case.
    — Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Each member has her own motive.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 May 2026
  • The case begins with murky motives.
    — Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 27 Jan. 2026
  • No motive is known, police said.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 28 May 2026
  • This is the proton motive force.
    — Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026
  • No motive has yet been disclosed.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 10 June 2026
  • Sanford's motive is not yet clear.
    — Pilar Arias, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
  • And what were the gunman’s motives?
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Police still don't have a motive.
    — Tony Aiello, CBS News, 28 May 2026
  • This does not explain the script or the motives of the actors.
    — Dominic Green, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2023
  • Graves said police do not know of a motive for the shootings.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
  • Police didn’t give details on a motive or what led to the killing.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2024

motive

2 of 3 adjective
  • Could there have been motive in that?
    — Sarah Prior, CBS News, 25 Jan. 2026
  • It is not known if there was a motive or intent behind the fire.
    — Salma Reyes, The Arizona Republic, 15 Oct. 2021
  • No motive or murder weapon has been identified so far in the killings.
    — Aditi Sangal, CNN, 30 Dec. 2022
  • There was little evidence to go on, no inkling of a motive and five people dead.
    — Chicago Tribune, 22 Sep. 2022
  • Cordero said the motive police have determined so far is that the suspect didn’t have a need for the dogs.
    — Kelli Smith, Dallas News, 9 Apr. 2021
  • So, there’s no common demographic or motive for these mass killers.
    — Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2023
  • But Pappas says there was one person who was close to Jon and may well have had motive to kill him.
    — Richard Schlesinger, CBS News, 10 Oct. 2020
  • It is often said that crime is where motive and means meets opportunity.
    — James Stavridis, The Economist, 21 Oct. 2020
  • Other modes can add to or preserve the battery's state of charge or just let the system decide the motive mix.
    — Joe Lorio, Car and Driver, 6 June 2023
  • No information on a motive or suspect is available at this time.
    — Olivia Mitchell, cleveland, 25 Dec. 2020
  • Activists and lawmakers have pored over these messages in search of meaning and motive.
    — Richard Hall, Time, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Police have not released a motive or potential profile of the killer.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2022
  • There were no details about possible suspects or a motive available.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, NOLA.com, 11 Dec. 2020
  • But there are two obvious suspects—Russia and Ukraine—both of which have means and motive.
    — WIRED, 7 Aug. 2023
  • One thing Gregg Elkin has never understood — motive.
    — Doug Haller, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Dale’s absence and the threat of visitors in my home gave me motive and opportunity to clean.
    — Gayle Carline, Orange County Register, 20 Jan. 2017
  • What if women were not just abstract objects to possess, but people with their own agency and motive force and career goals?
    — Vivian Shaw, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2020
  • That motive force gets routed to the wheels by way of a smooth-shifting nine-speed automatic transmission.
    — Andrew Krok, Car and Driver, 18 May 2023
  • Investigators do not have a motive or suspect for the shootings.
    — Michelle Hunter | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, 3 Feb. 2021
  • With little to lose and so much to gain, the Hoosiers have both motive and means to create a chaotic environment.
    — Nathan Baird, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Authorities have not identified a motive or suspect in that case.
    — Pamela Kirkland, CNN, 6 Oct. 2021
  • No further information about the motive or suspect has been released.
    — Staff Report, NOLA.com, 30 Jan. 2021
  • Not motive has been announced and police are asking the public to call a hotline with any information.
    — Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 20 Oct. 2022
  • Steve had motive to try to help the FBI, and decided to exploit Hamzeh to do so.
    — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 26 May 2022
  • His baby products help your baby to sleep, and his mirror motive line gives you the best looks and styles for your workouts and gym activities.
    — Dallas News, 24 Jan. 2023
  • The cause, motive, and perpetrators of the poisonings are unknown.
    — Peter Weber, The Week, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Police have not yet identified a suspect or motive, but said officers recovered a shotgun at the scene.
    — Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2023
  • The cases feel grounded in real life and have texture beyond the basic facts, motive and perpetrator.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
  • As the output from the main generator is increased, the electric motor puts out a smooth flow of power; the more juice that goes in, the more motive force that comes out.
    — Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 29 Apr. 2023
  • The identity of the victim and her motive start off unclear, but as one mystery is revealed, another is introduced.
    — David I. Klein, sun-sentinel.com, 17 Nov. 2021

motive

3 of 3 verb
  • At the time of writing, police have not identified a suspect or motive in her case.
    — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 12 June 2026
  • There was no information on any suspects or motive in the shooting.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The very last people who aren’t really motived to change any of this are the publishers themselves.
    — Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 12 July 2024
  • Of course, with all reports like this, speculation as to motive for such stories must be questioned.
    — Mark Heim, AL.com, 12 Oct. 2017
  • At the time of writing, police have not yet identified a suspect or motive in Guthrie’s case.
    — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 14 May 2026
  • But looking good isn’t Williams' only motive with her new diet and fitness regimen.
    — Michelle Lee, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024
  • Authorities are reviewing hours of footage but have not yet identified a suspect or motive in the case.
    — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 2 Mar. 2026
  • No information was provided on a suspect or motive in the shooting.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • No information has yet been provided on a suspect or motive in the incident.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 10 June 2026
  • Police have not yet identified a suspect or motive for the shooting, and have not released the identity of the victim.
    — Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Police have not disclosed any information on a suspect or motive in the incident.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Whoever guesses the suspect and motive with the most accuracy receives a cash prize.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025
  • There was no information on a possible suspect or motive in the incident.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 23 May 2026
  • Investigators have not released details of a suspect or motive in the shooting.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Investigators have not released details of a suspect or motive for the gunfire.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 19 Apr. 2026
  • No information was provided on a suspect or motive in the incident.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 23 June 2026
  • The move was motived not by personal desires but rather by the chance to make teeing off a more seamless experience for today’s golfing guests.
    — Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 16 May 2026
  • My photography is first and foremost a catalyst or reason to motive human action.
    — Olivier Laurent, Time, 30 June 2017
  • There was no other information provided on the suspects or motive in the incident.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Detectives did not provide details on a possible suspect or motive in the incident.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 31 May 2026
  • Police have not released any details about a possible suspect or motive and are asking the public for any information on the case.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
  • The Dolphins will likely attempt to drag this out, which could motive Achane to skip some portions, if not all, of the offseason program.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Stockton police said no suspect or motive information was available for this shooting either.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 June 2026
  • Local police have yet to identify either a suspect or motive in the shooting, while the teenager’s friends and family mourn and look for answers.
    — Sean Neumann, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Police are investigating the circumstances and motive around the shooting and have not announced any arrests.
    — Dallas News, 18 May 2022
  • Prosecutors have said Mangione's notebook entries speak to motive.
    — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 18 May 2026
  • Jones Family Deputies did not provide information on a suspect or motive in the shooting.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 14 June 2026
  • No information was provided on a suspect or motive in the homicide as detectives continue working to solve the case.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
  • But today, people are constantly questioning tone, intent, authorship and, of course, motive.
    — Wayne Elsey, Forbes.com, 12 Mar. 2026
  • By 2018, Amodei had started questioning the founders’ motives more openly.
    — Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'motive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: