movement

noun

move·ment | \ ˈmüv-mənt

Definition of movement

1a(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

2a : 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

4a : motion sense 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

5a : 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)

6a : an act of voiding (see void entry 3 sense 2a) the bowels : bowel movement sense 3a

b : matter expelled from the bowels at one passage : stool sense 3a

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about movement

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Synonyms & Antonyms for movement

Synonyms

motion, move, shift, shifting, stir, stirring

Antonyms

motionlessness

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 on the Web

That ushered in democracy for Tunisia and unleashed similar movements around the Arab world. — Bouazza Ben Bouazza, The Seattle Times, "Protests in Tunisia after journalist sets himself on fire," 26 Dec. 2018 His full suit of field armor weighed about 60 lbs., but allowed enough movement for the wearer to mount a horse without assistance. — David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, "The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More Weight Than Ever," 26 Dec. 2018 The on-rails tutorial missions were a bit of a slog, and the game’s ponderous movement felt needlessly plodding compared to the quick, tight controls of other 2018 games. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Ars Technica’s best games of 2018," 24 Dec. 2018 The Craftsman movement was also growing at the same time. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "Here’s Why Ranch-Style Houses Are Called Ranches," 20 Dec. 2018 The movement’s hulking raw-concrete structures then swept the globe—from the controversial Boston City Hall to Japan’s Saga Prefectural Gymnasium. — Lauren Ho, Condé Nast Traveler, "Architectural Reboot: The Return of Brutalism," 20 Dec. 2018 The protestors aren’t yet a unified movement with a long-term strategy, nor are there enough of them: The largest demonstration so far attracted an estimated 15,000 people in a nation of around 10 million. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "Hungary’s prime minister stole the country’s democracy. Now Hungarians are rising up.," 17 Dec. 2018 Since the first 300,000-strong protest on November 17, the movement of blue collar workers has been protesting every Saturday in cities and on highway roundabouts around the country. — Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and More Closed Saturday Ahead of Paris’s ‘Yellow Vest’ Protests," 7 Dec. 2018 Now seems like the perfect moment to go back and revisit my own experience with the Lean In movement. — Katherine Goldstein, Vox, "I was a Sheryl Sandberg superfan. Then her “Lean In” advice failed me.," 6 Dec. 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.