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A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.
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{
"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’."
}