movie

noun

mov·​ie ˈmü-vē 

1

: a recording of moving images that tells a story and that people watch on a screen or television : motion picture

watched a movie after dinner

a movie about the Civil War

an action movie

2

movies plural : a showing of a motion picture especially in a theater

went to the movies last Friday

also : a theater that shows movies

What's playing at the movies?

3

movies plural : the business of making movies : the motion-picture medium or industry

Synonyms

• film
• documentary

Examples of movie in a Sentence

He wants to work in the movies.

a career in the movies

Recent Examples on the Web

Screambox is a budget-friendly service that delivers new and older scary movies on a no-frills platform. —PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025

If people who create movies believe in their own art form, the performance that matters to them should be that of actors on set. —Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2025

His students’ final assessments are complex movies that require multiple technical and artistic skills to produce. —Justin Reich, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025

The content banner will create original material for digital platforms with an eye on developing concepts and prototypes for movies, TV shows, live media, podcasts, e-commerce and more. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

moving picture

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing movie

• B movie
• home movie
• movie house

Rhymes for movie

• groovy

Kids Definition

movie

noun

mov·​ie ˈmü-vē 

1

: motion picture sense 1

2

a

: a story represented in motion pictures

b

pl : a showing of a movie

went to the movies yesterday

3

plural : the business of making movies : the motion-picture industry