motive
/ˈmoʊtɪv/ noun B1- An incentive to act in a particular way; a reason or emotion that makes one want to do something; anything that prompts a choice of action.
- Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour. · What would his motive be for burning down the cottage?· No-one could understand why she had hidden the shovel; her motives were obscure at best.
Plural motives
From the library
Probably some wise, inscrutable motive was to be served thereby.
But she had another and nobler motive for wishing to do well.
The distance is nothing, when one has a motive; only three miles.
He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but two motives for their choosing to walk up and down the room together, with either of which motives his joining them would interfere.
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