Examples of ulterior motive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last year, the league office determined via tracking data that base coaches often liberally moved toward the outfield without runners on base, a choice the league believes was rooted in an ulterior motive.
—
Evan Drellich, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Greg, on the other hand, has an ulterior motive.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
These individuals are often lured to conferences with generous payments, but with an ulterior motive: to extract their knowledge and encourage them to share sensitive or privileged information.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
There was no ulterior motive other than to motivate people to do something good.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2026
Critics have alleged the multi-million dollar film might have been made with an ulterior motive.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
People are still willing to help each other, with no ulterior motive.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
The accusers had no other ulterior motive to come forward, Oliver argued.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 16 Dec. 2025
Unbeknownst to Eleven, Vecna has an ulterior motive.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Evan Drellich, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Greg, on the other hand, has an ulterior motive.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2026
These individuals are often lured to conferences with generous payments, but with an ulterior motive: to extract their knowledge and encourage them to share sensitive or privileged information.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
There was no ulterior motive other than to motivate people to do something good.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2026
Critics have alleged the multi-million dollar film might have been made with an ulterior motive.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
People are still willing to help each other, with no ulterior motive.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
The accusers had no other ulterior motive to come forward, Oliver argued.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 16 Dec. 2025
Unbeknownst to Eleven, Vecna has an ulterior motive.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ulterior motive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ulterior%20motive. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
