animating force

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Court did so even though the plaintiffs were not questioning their detention — the animating force behind habeas petitions — and were instead objecting to their looming deportation.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2025

I’ve been trying to cut to, like, the animating force here, and I think that distrust is at the heart of it.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2023

The new sequel to that podcast, “Once Upon a Time...at Bennington College,” claims Sherman Oaks-bred “Less Than Zero” author Bret Easton Ellis as one of its central figures and its key animating force.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2021

Fear is the animating force in much of their messaging, she said.

From Washington Post • Jul. 30, 2021

Instead, I sank my energy into being the sole animating force in my little common-area universe.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama