motion

noun

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mo·tion | \ ˈmō-shən

Definition of motion

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : an act, process, or instance of changing place : movement a pendulum in motion

b : an active or functioning state or condition set the divorce proceedings in motion

2 : an impulse or inclination of the mind or will the fundamental motions of humanity to good or evil— T. S. Eliot

3a : a proposal for action especially : a formal proposal made in a deliberative assembly made a motion that the meeting be adjourned

b : an application made to a court or judge to obtain an order, ruling, or direction His motion for a new trial was denied.

4 obsolete

a : a puppet show

b : puppet

5 : mechanism

6a : an act or instance of moving the body or its parts : gesture signaled with a motion of his arm

b motions plural : activities, movements taking advantage of the night to conceal his motions

7 : melodic change of pitch

in motion

American Football, of an offensive player : running parallel to the line of scrimmage before the snap

motion

verb

motioned; motioning\ ˈmō-sh(ə-)niŋ

Definition of motion (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to signal by a movement or gesture the pitcher motioned to the catcher

transitive verb

: to direct by a motion motioned me to the seat

Motion

biographical name

Mo·tion | \ ˈmō-shən

Definition of Motion (Entry 3 of 3)

Sir Andrew 1952– British poet; poet laureate (1999–2009)

Other Words from motion Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about motion

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Other Words from motion

Noun

motional \ ˈmō-shnəl

, -shə-nᵊl \ adjective

motionless \ ˈmō-shən-ləs

\ adjective

motionlessly adverb

motionlessness noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for motion

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Noun

motionlessness

Examples of motion in a Sentence

Noun She has a simple golf swing with no wasted motion. the rhythmic motions of the waves He caught the ball and flipped it back to me in one fluid motion. The wax should be applied using a circular motion. He made hand motions to get our attention. She made a motion calling for the repeal of the law. Her motion was voted on. His lawyer filed a motion for a mistrial. The judge denied a motion to delay the hearing. Verb The guard motioned us through the gate. She motioned to her assistant. She motioned at the empty chair beside her and told me to sit down.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Jackson, of course, doesn’t remember the painful electric-shock sessions or the constant range-of-motion exercises. — al, "Despite traumatic childbirth injury, Jackson Abbott excelled as 3-sport star at Maplesville," 11 Apr. 2021 The results are as stately as a Renaissance canvas, yet with an underlying sense of motion. — Washington Post, "In the galleries: Acronyms as content encode a powerful commentary," 2 Apr. 2021 Becoming more flexible can help alleviate sore muscles and improve your range of motion. — Kim Luongo, chicagotribune.com, "How does better flexibility benefit your health?," 2 Apr. 2021 During a half-hour virtual meeting, the board voted 14-7 in favor of the motion. — Jim Clark, BostonGlobe.com, "MIAA says yes, there will be state championships this spring," 17 Mar. 2021 Beyond that, keeping your blood flowing and exercising your limbs’ full range of motion can unstick any tissues in your arm that are over-compressed. — Hannah Seo, Popular Science, "The best way to prevent arm pain from using your phone too much," 11 Mar. 2021 This climax is a palpable reminder that pitch is not just a musical concept but also a word for the dynamic, powerful movement of an aircraft, the sort of motion that stirs elation and turns the body inside out. — New York Times, "came out, you tweeted about a weird experience you had with him. Can you fill in that story? How was it that you wound up at his house?," 11 Mar. 2021 Houser was not part of the motion, but its outcome applies to him, according to the lawyers involved. — John Wilkens, San Diego Union-Tribune, "‘Haunted’ by the Crowe murder case, defense attorney proposes Children’s Bill of Rights," 6 Mar. 2021 The pivoting foot pedals allow for a larger range of motion and their patent pending front stabilizer footpads are designed for additional exercises like tricep extensions, standing shoulder presses and more. — Rebecca Rodriguez, NBC News, "Best affordable rowers under $500," 5 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Every now and then, a teammate will motion directions in between drills. — Sarah Mclellan, Star Tribune, "In his first week, Kirill Kaprizov fits in well with Wild," 7 Jan. 2021 Trubisky tried to motion Mooney back toward the middle of the field but ultimately launched a trust throw into Soldier Field’s north end zone. — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago Bears QB rewind: Was Mitch Trubisky’s strong first half more telling than his second-half struggles in Week 2?," 22 Sep. 2020 But when the Falcons motion their fullback left, Bosa decreases his split from a 7 to a 6i. — Ellis L. Williams, cleveland, "Borrowing from the 49ers’ defensive line approach could propel the Browns’ Myles Garrett to his best season yet : Film review," 20 Aug. 2020 DeWine handed the microphone to Acton, dressed in a dark suit, and had to motion her toward the podium. — Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati.com, "First came the pandemic, then came the politics: Why Amy Acton quit," 13 June 2020 The push, the pulls’ At the Emergency Operations Center, Fire Chief Charles Hood motioned for Emerick to step out of a meeting of the testing task force and into the central command space. — Brian Chasnoff, ExpressNews.com, "Metro Health director came to San Antonio just ahead of the coronavirus," 16 May 2020 Tatum motioned to Gordon Hayward, who caught a pass well beyond the left arc with 14 seconds left. — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, "Did the Celtics make right move not calling time to set up last play against Rockets in overtime loss?," 1 Mar. 2020 Board Chairwoman Kathleen Causey raised the topic of the election for chair and vice chair, and Vice Chair Julie Henn immediately motioned to move the board into a closed administrative session without a closing statement that is required by law. — Cody Boteler, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore County school board violated open meetings law, parent alleges," 5 Dec. 2019 Second, motioning his wide receiver in tight helped block the run call, yet the motion did not give the play away. — cleveland, "Kevin Stefanski wants a healthy ‘marriage’ between run and pass. What might that look like for the Browns? -- Film review," 15 Jan. 2020

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

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Dictionary Entries near motion

motion and time study

Statistics for motion

Last Updated

20 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Motion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motion. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for motion

motion

noun

English Language Learners Definition of motion

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an act or process of moving

: a movement of your body or of a part of your body

: a formal suggestion or proposal that is made at a meeting for something to be done

motion

verb

English Language Learners Definition of motion (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make a movement of your hand, head, etc., that tells someone to move or act in a certain way

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

motion

noun

mo·tion | \ ˈmō-shən

Kids Definition of motion

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an act or process of changing place or position : movement We felt the swaying motion of the train.

2 : a movement of the body or its parts … the motion of his arms was not unlike the flapping of a pair of wings.— Washington Irving, “Sleepy Hollow”

3 : a formal plan or suggestion for action offered according to the rules of a meeting She made a motion to adjourn.

motion

verb

motioned; motioning

Kids Definition of motion (Entry 2 of 2)

: to direct or signal by a movement or sign Instantly she set the bird down and motioned everyone away …— Carolyn Keene, The Double Jinx Mystery

motion

noun

mo·tion | \ ˈmō-shən

Medical Definition of motion

1 : an act, process, or instance of changing place : movement

2a : an evacuation of the bowels

b : the matter evacuated —often used in plural blood in the motions — Lancet

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motion

noun

mo·tion

Legal Definition of motion

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a proposal for action especially : a formal proposal made in a legislative assembly made a motion to refer the bill to committee

2a : an application made to a court or judge to obtain an order, ruling, or direction a motion to arrest judgment also : a document containing such an application

b : the initiative of a court to issue an order, ruling, or direction the court is given discretion to order a pretrial conference either on its own motion or at the request of a party— J. H. Friedenthal et al.

— motion for a more definite statement

: a motion that is filed before an answer and that requests the court to order the plaintiff to clarify allegations in the complaint because the claims are so vague or ambiguous that an answer cannot reasonably be framed

— motion for judgment on the pleadings

: a motion made after pleadings have been entered that requests the court to issue a judgment at that point — compare summary judgment at judgment sense 1a

Note: Under Rule 12(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, if matters outside of the pleadings are presented to the court when a motion for judgment on the pleadings is made, the motion will be treated as a motion for summary judgment.

— motion in limine \ -in-ˈli-mə-nē \

: a usually pretrial motion that requests the court to issue an interlocutory order which prevents an opposing party from introducing or referring to potentially irrelevant, prejudicial, or otherwise generally inadmissible evidence until the court has finally ruled on its admissibility

— motion to strike

1 : a motion in a civil trial to remove from a pleading an insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter

2 : a motion in a criminal trial to exclude evidence from the record

— motion to suppress

: a pretrial motion requesting the court to exclude evidence that was obtained illegally and especially in violation of Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment protections

— omnibus motion \ ˈäm-ni-bəs- \

: a motion that makes multiple requests filing an omnibus motion to dismiss and for a more definite statement — Department of Ins. of Florida v. Coopers & Lybrand, 570 So. 2d 369 (1990)

motion

verb

Legal Definition of motion (Entry 2 of 2)

: move motioned for a summary judgment