locomotion

noun

lo·​co·​mo·​tion ˌlō-kə-ˈmō-shən How to pronounce locomotion (audio)
1
: an act or the power of moving from place to place
2
: travel
interest in free locomotion and choice of occupationZechariah Chafee Jr.

Examples of locomotion in a Sentence

Walking is one form of locomotion.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Its geometry can be tailored for specific scenarios, and in one demonstration, the humanoid gymnast robot used its flexible limbs to swing along a ceiling for locomotion. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025 The engineers explain that the robot’s balance and locomotion have been trained in a simulated environment with slopes, obstacles, and interfering forces, where it has been run for hundreds of thousands of virtual hours. Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025 Something about the idea my father had that summer, something about swimming as a form of locomotion across the landscape, stays with people. Susan Cheever, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2025 Since then about 500 generations of brown rats have lived here and have developed unique genetic adaptations related to metabolism, diet, nervous system and locomotion. Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for locomotion

Word History

Etymology

Latin locus + English motion

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of locomotion was in 1646

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Locomotion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/locomotion. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

locomotion

noun
lo·​co·​mo·​tion ˌlō-kə-ˈmō-shən How to pronounce locomotion (audio)
: the act or power of moving from place to place

Medical Definition

locomotion

noun
lo·​co·​mo·​tion ˌlō-kə-ˈmō-shən How to pronounce locomotion (audio)
: an act or the power of moving from place to place : progressive movement (as of an animal body)
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