Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

động cơ

[ʔɗəwŋ͡m˧˨ʔ kəː˧˧]

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) state of someone's mind when committing a crime; motive, intent

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ý định phạm tội

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

động cơ gây ánone's motive for committing a crime

Động cơ xe này chạy rất êm.This car’s engine runs very smoothly.

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) motor; engine

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

động cơ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

What does “động cơ” mean?

(noun) state of someone's mind when committing a crime; motive, intent

Is “động cơ” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.