Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

motion

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of motion

  1. the act or an instance of changing position we were instructed not to make any sudden motions or we might scare away the deer Synonyms movement, move, shift, shifting, stir, stirringRelated Words dislocation, migration, relocation; locomotion, mobility, motility, motivity; fiddling, fidgeting, squirm, squirming, twitching, wriggling, writhing; flailing, flapping, wavingNear Antonyms immobility; inertia, inertness, stillness; cessation, discontinuance, ending, expiration, finish, halt, lapse, pause, shutdown, shutoff, stop, stoppage, surcease, terminationAntonyms motionlessness

Read the Latest from M-W

alt-597a99e699d07
July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
image1358596246
Words About Word Play
alt-597a00ef4b9d7
'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'
alt-5978a79b75e17
Trending: 'Transgender' Americans Face New Restrictions

motion

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of motion

  1. to direct or notify by a movement or gesture the referee motioned the team captains to confer with him on the sideline Synonyms beckon, flag, gesture, signal, wave Related Words nod; gesticulate, mime, pantomime, sign; signalize; acquaint, advise, inform, relate, tell; flourish, shrug

Learn More about motion

  1. Dictionary: Definition of motion Medical Dictionary: Definition of motion Spanish Central: Translation of motion Nglish: Translation of motion for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of motion for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about motion

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up motion? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

inhere

play

to be a fixed element or attribute

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. transgender Trump reverses military policy allowing transgender people to serve

  2. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  3. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  4. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  5. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

SEE ALL

BROWSE THESAURUS

motion

Test Your Vocabulary

July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

  • alt-597a99e699d07
  • Which is a synonym of gauche?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-597a00ef4b9d7
'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'

A pattern emerges.

alt-5978b44edfb13
Our (Almost) Final Word on 'Penultimate'

The ultimate guide to using penultimate.

alt-5978cb55e8ba5
The Grammatical History of 'Awaken'/'Awoken'/'Awakened'

Or you can just go back to bed.

alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

alt-597a99e699d07
July 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Test your knowledge.

Take the quiz
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game