moving

adjective

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: moving in a Sentence

Definition of moving

1 a : marked by or capable of movement

b : of or relating to a change of residence

moving expenses

c : used for transferring furnishings from one residence to another

a moving van

d : involving a motor vehicle that is in motion

a moving violation

2 a : producing or transferring motion or action

b : stirring deeply in a way that evokes a strong emotional response

a moving story of a faithful dog

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movingly

play \ˈmü-viŋ-lē\ adverb

See moving defined for English-language learners

See moving defined for kids

Examples of moving in a Sentence

a moving story of a faithful dog
He gave a moving speech at the memorial service.

Recent Examples of moving from the Web

In a weirdly moving scene, a bunch of actual penguins give the Penguin a burial at sea.

— scott meslow, GQ, "Do Tim Burton’s Batman Movies Hold Up?," 7 Feb. 2018
His parents, Ron and Julie Stratman both shared difficult and moving thoughts on their son via a Care Bridge site.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Celebration of the life of Matt Stratman is Thursday at Lakota West," 2 July 2018
One of the most moving chapters in the memoir tells of a photo opportunity not taken.

— dmitry samarov, Chicago Reader, "Photojournalist Nancy Abrams looks back on her years in West Virginia in The Climb From Salt Lick," 14 May 2018
One of the most moving moments came in the afternoon, when a 12-year-old girl named Leah took the stage in D.C. to talk about her fears of being separated from her mother, who works as a nanny in Miami.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Most Powerful Moments From the Families Belong Together Marches," 1 July 2018
Nevertheless, the film’s filled with wonderfully unruly and exciting music — including from Hardy, who has perhaps the picture’s most moving moment, singing a song drawn from personal tragedy.

— noel murray, latimes.com, "'The Icarus Line Must Die' maintains its punk rock cred," 21 June 2018
Phones tend to be solid-state devices for a reason: the fewer moving parts, the fewer ways there are for something to break.

— sam byford, The Verge, "The top 8 Chinese phones," 22 June 2018
On a night when speakers included Stephen King, Morgan Freeman and Margaret Atwood, no one at the PEN American gala had a more moving and inspiring presence than Parkland shooting survivor Samantha Fuentes.

— Washington Post, "Stephen King among the honorees at PEN America gala," 24 May 2018
This is the explicit truth at the heart of the movie's most moving moments.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "You Could Use a Style Upgrade," 27 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of moving

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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moving Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of moving

moving, impressive, poignant, affecting, touching, pathetic mean having the power to produce deep emotion. moving may apply to any strong emotional effect including thrilling, agitating, saddening, or calling forth pity or sympathy.

- a moving appeal for contributions

impressive implies compelling attention, admiration, wonder, or conviction.

- an impressive list of achievements

poignant applies to what keenly or sharply affects one's sensitivities.

- a poignant documentary on the homeless

affecting is close to moving but most often suggests pathos.

- an affecting deathbed reunion

touching implies arousing tenderness or compassion.

- the touching innocence in a child's eyes

pathetic implies moving to pity or sometimes contempt.

- pathetic attempts to justify misconduct

MOVING Defined for English Language Learners

moving

adjective

Definition of moving for English Language Learners

: changing place or position
: having a strong emotional effect : causing feelings of sadness or sympathy
: relating to the activity or process of moving to a different place to live or work