The term often implies some underlying motive of revenge prompting the return.

And it had an underlying motive.

Mitch sensed an underlying motive but didn't press.

"We also knew there was an underlying motive" for Duncan - to ingratiate himself with Longhofer.

You could grasp the mechanics of the Society you lived in, but not its underlying motives.

You also identify some underlying motives for this manifestation of German connivance in helping Jews escape.

Ayatollah Khomeini's campaign, whatever its underlying motive, must be seen as a frontal assault on Western values.

There must be a moral to this menu manipulation that relates, primarily, to the transitory nature of fame, when its underlying motive is greed.

Their underlying motive was the neoconservative dream of transforming the Middle East.

He recalled the story Maddie had related at her cabin, and he entertained a cynical suspicion there might be an underlying motive to her presence.