animation
noun
an·i·ma·tion
ˌa-nə-ˈmā-shən 
plural animations
2
: a movie, scene, or sequence that simulates movement from a series of still frames (such as drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects moved incrementally)
His work often condenses stories of intricate subjects into brief looping animations.—
Paul Tough
Paul ToughThe work, titled Bigger Christmas Trees, was created on an iPad and features ten minutes of animation.—Julia Binswanger
Julia BinswangerAnd as the animation above shows, this tilt causes the Moon's shadow to miss the Earth.—Tom Yulsman
Tom Yulsman3
: the preparation of animation (as for animated cartoons, video games, commercials, etc.)
Examples of animation in a Sentence
The animation for the film took over two years to complete.
The studio used computer animation for some of the special effects.
The website has hundreds of animations you can download.
Recent Examples on the Web
Full Sail, which doesn’t currently have any on-campus student housing, awards bachelor’s and master’s degrees in audio, design, computer animation, and business administration.
—Tyler Williams, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2025
Hulu's on-demand library of shows includes animation (Adventure Time, Bob’s Burgers, and Futurama), comedies (Broad City, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Malcolm in the Middle, Parks and Recreation, and Scrubs), dramas (The Good Wife, Killing Eve, The Orville, and The X-Files).
—PC Magazine, 8 July 2025
Select Downtown Disney restaurants are offering 17% discounts in celebration of Disneyland’s anniversary on July 17 and 23% discounts in honor of the birth of Disney animation in 1923.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 8 July 2025
And while there’s no better way to watch King of the Hill than to engage with the entire thing, here are 15 episodes that encapsulate the show as one of the most delightfully weird and surprisingly humane series to come out of adult animation.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for animation
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Tyler Williams, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2025
Hulu's on-demand library of shows includes animation (Adventure Time, Bob’s Burgers, and Futurama), comedies (Broad City, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Malcolm in the Middle, Parks and Recreation, and Scrubs), dramas (The Good Wife, Killing Eve, The Orville, and The X-Files).
—PC Magazine, 8 July 2025
Select Downtown Disney restaurants are offering 17% discounts in celebration of Disneyland’s anniversary on July 17 and 23% discounts in honor of the birth of Disney animation in 1923.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 8 July 2025
And while there’s no better way to watch King of the Hill than to engage with the entire thing, here are 15 episodes that encapsulate the show as one of the most delightfully weird and surprisingly humane series to come out of adult animation.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for animation
Cite this Entry
“Animation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animation. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
animation
noun
an·i·ma·tion
ˌan-ə-ˈmā-shən
1
: the state of being animate or animated
2
a
: a film made by photographing a series of positions of objects (as puppets)
b
3
: the making of animations
Medical Definition
animation
noun
an·i·ma·tion
ˌan-ə-ˈmā-shən
: the state of being animate or animated see suspended animation
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