movement

noun move·ment \ ˈmüv-mənt \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

1 a (1) : the act or process of moving; especially : change of place or position or posture

studying the movement of planets

(2) : a particular instance or manner of moving

was entranced by her graceful movements

b (1) : a tactical or strategic shifting of a military unit : maneuver

(2) : the advance of a military unit

the steady movement of troops across the border

c : action, activity —usually used in plural

carefully watched the movements of the crowd

2 a : tendency, trend

detected a movement toward fairer pricing

b : a series of organized activities working toward an objective; also : an organized effort to promote or attain an end

the civil rights movement

a movement to increase the minimum wage

3 : the moving parts of a mechanism that transmit a definite motion

4 a : motion 7

b : the rhythmic character or quality of a musical composition

a dance movement

c : a distinct structural unit or division having its own key, rhythmic structure, and themes and forming part of an extended musical composition

The symphony consisted of three movements.

d : particular rhythmic flow of language : cadence

a poem's movement

5 a : the quality (as in a painting or sculpture) of representing or suggesting motion

b : the vibrant quality in literature that comes from elements that constantly hold a reader's interest (such as a quickly moving action-filled plot)

6 a : an act of voiding (see ³void 2a) the bowels

b : matter expelled from the bowels at one passage

See movement defined for English-language learners

See movement defined for kids

Examples of movement in a Sentence

He developed an efficient system for movement of raw materials to the factory.
studying the movements of the planets
We wore loose clothes to allow for easier movement.
the graceful movements of a dancer
The police have been keeping a careful record of his movements.
There's a movement afoot to rename the town.
a book about the history of the civil rights movement
They joined the antiwar movement.

Recent Examples of movement from the Web

America was in Vietnam, and the anti-war movement was raging forcibly enough to shut down campuses.

— david zurawik, baltimoresun.com, "Hate Roseanne if you want, but you have to appreciate her show," 13 Apr. 2018
Pause at the top of the movement for one or two counts.

— jenny mccoy, SELF, "Kate Upton Works Her Back and Shoulders With This Simple Upper-Body Move," 13 Apr. 2018
One is Gloria Steinem, the beautiful, willowy avatar of a movement that had often been stereotyped as a collective of misfits.

— michelle dean, The New Republic, "Tensions between two generations of feminists animate Meg Wolitzer’s novel.," 12 Apr. 2018
The quality of the movement itself in his choreography was very, very active.

— richard chang, latimes.com, "Donald McKayle, groundbreaking choreographer and beloved UCI professor, dies," 11 Apr. 2018
In Tucson, all five school board members wore red in support of the movement.

— lily altavena, azcentral, "Mesa, Tucson school boards publicly support #RedForEd movement," 11 Apr. 2018
The trooper who arrested Bland was ultimately fired and Bland became an icon of the Black Lives Matter movement.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "9 things about Diamond and Silk: Why Facebook says Trump-loving sisters are 'unsafe' | The Kansas City Star," 10 Apr. 2018
Archaeologists previously thought humanity's movement out of Africa was in a single, rapid wave some 60,000 years ago, study co-author Michael Petraglia, an archaeologist from Germany's Max Planck Institute, said at a news briefing.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Oldest human fossil found in Saudi Arabia indicates migration out of Africa more widespread," 9 Apr. 2018
The spirit of the movement has even caught the fancy of Republicans, as well as centrists.

— franklin foer, The Atlantic, "Silicon Valley Falls to Earth," 9 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of movement

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

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movement Synonyms

MOVEMENT Defined for English Language Learners

movement

noun

: the act or process of moving people or things from one place or position to another
: the act of moving from one place or position to another
: the act of moving your body or a part of your body