{
    "term": "motive",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "academic": true,
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a reason for doing something",
            "sensetop": "motive (for something)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There seemed to be no motive for the murder."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'm suspicious of his motives."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the profit motive *(= the desire to make a profit)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I have an **ulterior motive** in offering to help you."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was acting from the highest motives when he offered her money."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was suspicious of her motives in inviting him into the house."
                },
                {
                    "text": "However you explain the motives behind his actions, he was still wrong."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I did it for a variety of motives."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'd say he had a very strong motive for wanting her dead."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It it is clear that they were acting from motives of revenge."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She knew that he was inspired by base motives."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She should examine her motives for marrying him."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was not sure what his underlying motives were."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The police are still trying to establish a motive for the attack."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There is no doubt about the motive behind it all."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There may be a hidden motive for his departure."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There must be something which provided a motive for these killings."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There seemed to be no clear motive for the attack."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We give aid to other countries with mixed motives."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We've become adept at hiding our true motives."
                },
                {
                    "text": "What was their motive in setting fire to the building?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "speculation that less noble motives were driving the country's foreign policy"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["hidden", "ulterior", "good"],
                "verb + motive": ["be inspired by", "have", "establish"],
                "motive + verb": ["drive somebody/​something"],
                "preposition": ["motive in", "motive behind", "motive for"],
                "phrases": ["a variety of motives"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈməʊtɪv/",
                "audio": "mo/motive/motive__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈməʊtɪv/",
                "audio": "mo/motive/motive__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Old French motif (adjective used as a noun), from late Latin motivus, from movere ‘to move’."
}