movement
Americannoun
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the act, process, or result of moving.
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a particular manner or style of moving.
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Usually movements. actions or activities, as of a person or a body of persons.
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Military, Naval. a change of position or location of troops or ships.
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abundance of events or incidents.
- Synonyms:
- eventfulness
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rapid progress of events.
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the progress of events, as in a narrative or drama.
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Fine Arts. the suggestion of motion in a work of art, either by represented gesture in figurative painting or sculpture or by the relationship of structural elements in a design or composition.
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a progressive development of ideas toward a particular conclusion.
the movement of his thought.
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a series of actions or activities intended or tending toward a particular end.
the movement toward universal suffrage.
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the course, tendency, or trend of affairs in a particular field.
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a diffusely organized or heterogeneous group of people or organizations tending toward or favoring a generalized common goal.
the antislavery movement; the realistic movement in art.
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the price change in the market of some commodity or security.
an upward movement in the price of butter.
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the working parts or a distinct portion of the working parts of a mechanism, as of a watch.
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Music.
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a principal division or section of a sonata, symphony, or the like.
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motion; rhythm; time; tempo.
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Prosody. rhythmical structure or character.
noun
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the act, process, or result of moving
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an instance of moving
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the manner of moving
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a group of people with a common ideology, esp a political or religious one
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the organized action of such a group
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a trend or tendency in a particular sphere
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the driving and regulating mechanism of a watch or clock
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(often plural) a person's location and activities during a specific time
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the evacuation of the bowels
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the matter evacuated
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music a principal self-contained section of a symphony, sonata, etc, usually having its own structure
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tempo or pace, as in music or literature
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fine arts the appearance of motion in painting, sculpture, etc
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prosody the rhythmic structure of verse
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a positional change by one or a number of military units
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a change in the market price of a security or commodity
Related Words
See motion.
Other Word Forms
- countermovement noun
Etymology
Origin of movement
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French; see move, -ment
Explanation
The noun movement means a change of position or location. If you're watching a play, you might notice that an actor's repeated movement from one side of the stage to the other shows her character's nervousness. A campaign to create some change or achieve a goal is another kind of movement, like the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. A major section of a musical piece is also called a movement. Each movement of a symphony can have a different tempo and feel, working to build the piece toward a dramatic finish. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has four movements.
Vocabulary lists containing movement
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"The Civil Rights Movement"
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"Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." and "I Have a Dream"
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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.
They are especially interested in the mechanisms that control fatty acid movement.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
The bloc aims to share resources, build infrastructure, create a common market and currency and allow free movement of people, with the long-term goal of deeper integration.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
Most electoral lists were aligned with Abbas's secular-nationalist Fatah movement or composed of independents.
From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026
The piston rotates a crank shaft, creating movement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
I could follow every movement my old dog made by ear.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.