momentum

noun

mo·men·tum | \ mō-ˈmen-təm

, mə-\

plural momenta\ mō-ˈmen-tə

, mə- \ or momentums

Definition of momentum

1 : a property (see property sense 1a) of a moving body that the body has by virtue of its mass (see mass entry 2 sense 1c) and motion and that is equal to the product of the body's mass and velocity broadly : a property of a moving body that determines the length of time required to bring it to rest when under the action of a constant force or moment

2 : strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events The wagon gained momentum as it rolled down the hill.

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Examples of momentum in a Sentence

The company has had a successful year and hopes to maintain its momentum by introducing new products. The movie loses momentum toward the end.

Recent Examples on the Web

The rider had to bring him up, big time, and that caused him to lose momentum. — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, "Racing! Michael Wrona is back," 3 Aug. 2019 Supporting the rate cut are data showing the economy losing momentum in areas such as job creation and manufacturing, inflation below the Fed's target, and slowing global growth amid trade tensions. — Tendayi Kapfidze, CBS News, "Fed's first rate cut in more than 10 years: What it could mean for your finances," 1 Aug. 2019 This momentum is updated during each time interval in a manner very similar to the way the position is updated. — Rhett Allain, WIRED, "Let's Break Down the Physics of a Wickedly Curving Baseball," 31 July 2019 But for places where land use reform already has some political momentum, the carrot of extra money could help put it over the top. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "America’s dual housing crisis and what Democrats plan to do about it, explained," 30 July 2019 Concerned about losing social-media momentum, Binske vice president of business development Alex Pasternack spent two weeks submitting documents to Instagram, trying to prove his company was legit. — Craig Giammona, chicagotribune.com, "Advertising weed is tough when the Feds consider you a drug dealer," 24 July 2019 CoreLogic says that while many economists have pointed to stock market stumbles as a sign of an imminent slowdown, the housing market is healthy, albeit losing some of its momentum. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Hot housing market has fueled economic expansion—and inequality," 18 July 2019 The job market has lost some momentum since last year, when tax cuts and increased government spending gave the economy a jolt. — Ben Casselman, New York Times, "Strong Jobs Report Eases Fears of Damage From Trade War," 5 July 2019 This will be the last 1 1/2-mile track before the MENCS playoffs, and drivers are looking to carry some momentum into their quest for the Cup. — Robert Rimpson, The Courier-Journal, "NASCAR's Quaker State 400 is coming to Kentucky Speedway. Here's what you need to know," 2 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'momentum.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for momentum

Last Updated

9 Aug 2019

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Time Traveler for momentum

The first known use of momentum was in 1610

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More Definitions for momentum

momentum

noun

English Language Learners Definition of momentum

: the strength or force that something has when it is moving

: the strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes

physics : the property that a moving object has due to its mass and its motion

See the full definition for momentum in the English Language Learners Dictionary

momentum

noun

mo·men·tum | \ mō-ˈmen-təm

Kids Definition of momentum

: the force that a moving body has because of its weight and motion

momentum

noun

mo·men·tum | \ mō-ˈment-əm, mə-ˈment-

plural momenta\ -ˈment-ə

\ or momentums

Medical Definition of momentum

: a property of a moving body that the body has by virtue of its mass and motion and that is equal to the product of the body's mass and velocity broadly : a property of a moving body that determines the length of time required to bring it to rest when under the action of a constant force