movie

noun

mov·​ie ˈmü-vē 

plural movies

1

: a recording of moving images that tells a story and that people watch (as in a theater or on the screen of a television or mobile device) : motion picture sense 2a

watched a movie after dinner

a movie about the Civil War

an action movie

especially : a feature-length film shown in a movie theater

2

the movies : 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

the movies : the business of making movies : the medium or industry of film

Synonyms of movie

• 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

The storytelling, however, is padded and repetitive, meaning this 149-minute movie never quite takes escapist flight, while also remaining hard to take altogether seriously. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 May 2026

Riley’s movies are entwined with—and, often, inspired by—music. —Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026

And the movie theaters will be full again! —Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026

A lot of the movie feels like a virtuoso chase sequence, people barreling down the road, guns blazing. —Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026

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