motion picture

noun

1

: a series of still pictures displayed on a screen in rapid succession so as to produce the optical effect of continuous video

2

a

: a representation (as of a story) by means of motion pictures

especially : movie sense 1

starring in a major motion picture

—often used before another noun

a motion picture screen

b

: the business or industry of making movies

—usually used in plural

a bigwig in motion pictures

Synonyms of motion picture

• movie
• moving picture
• film
• documentary

Examples of motion picture in a Sentence

He was given a starring role in a major motion picture.

a popular novel that was made into a major motion picture

Recent Examples on the Web

Although Black people have long been underrepresented in the film industry, ironically the first motion picture ever recorded was a Black man riding a horse. —James Edward Mills, Outside, 25 Nov. 2025

Astbury also works in motion picture lit with clients such as Len Wiseman and A Minecraft Movie producer Roy Lee. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2025

At 64 years old, Eddie Murphy remains the most commercially successful African-American actor in the history of the motion picture business and is one of the industry’s top five box-office performers overall. —Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 21 Nov. 2025

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly (more than 50 percent) non-English dialogue track. —Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for motion picture

• stricture

Kids Definition

motion picture

noun

1

: a series of pictures projected on a screen rapidly one after another so as to give the appearance of a continuous picture in which the objects move

2

: movie sense 2