"motate" means american slang for running at full tilt or moving with great urgency and speed. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
motate
American slang for running at full tilt or moving with great urgency and speed.
ˈmoʊˌteɪtDocumented since 1980s1980sGen Xhistorical241 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1980 · no dated citations yetGen X eraSee decade cohort →
Definitions
Global
#1·Apr 28, 2026Global
American slang for running at full tilt or moving with great urgency and speed. To motate is to book it, haul ass, or get out of somewhere fast. The word has a fun, slightly goofy sound that makes it feel more playful than aggressive — you might motate away from an awkward situation as easily as sprint from genuine danger. Found in rural American speech and old cowboy/western vernacular.
The second the bell rang, those kids motated out of school like the building was on fire.
Origin: Likely a playful blend of 'motor' and '-ate' as a verb suffix, suggesting moving with engine-like speed; appears in American folk and colloquial speech records. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora (model-assisted, hedged).
For parents
"motate" means american slang for running at full tilt or moving with great urgency and speed. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
For ESL learners
"motate" is informal English meaning american slang for running at full tilt or moving with great urgency and speed. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "american slang for running at full tilt or moving with great urgency and speed" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "motate" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
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Global
#2·Apr 27, 2026Global
(slang, US) To run at very high speed, sprint.
Cluster: stimulants
Heard in the wild
“I’m building [https://motate.app/](https://motate.app/) to help writing and sharing papers more easy including enhancing with interactive visuals.”
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "motate" (M)
mossybackmostlingsmost Rikki-TikMOTMotabilitymotardedmothermother and baby unitmother arcmother checkmother codedmother core
Browse all slang words starting with M.