move 1 of 2

verb

ˈmüv How to pronounce move (audio)
Definition of movenext
1
as in to relocate
to change the place or position of I need you to move all your books off that chair before company gets here

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to drive
to set or keep in motion the hands of the wall clock are moved by battery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shift
to change one's position don't move while I'm trying to draw your portrait

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to affect
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response we were deeply moved by the program of patriotic music

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to encourage
to rouse to strong feeling or action the heartfelt appeal moved the people to reach into their pockets and donate generously

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to persuade
to cause (someone) to agree with a belief or course of action by using arguments or earnest requests the report moved me to change my mind about the issue

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to activate
to cause to function this one button moves the whole machine

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8
as in to exit
to leave a place often for another the police officer told the loiterers to move along

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

move

2 of 2

noun

1
as in means
an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result retiring early was a smart move

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in shifting
the act or an instance of changing position don't make a move

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb move differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of move are actuate, drive, and impel. While all these words mean "to set or keep in motion," move is very general and implies no more than the fact of changing position.

moved the furniture

In what contexts can actuate take the place of move?

The words actuate and move can be used in similar contexts, but actuate stresses transmission of power so as to work or set in motion.

turbines actuated by waterpower

When might drive be a better fit than move?

While in some cases nearly identical to move, drive implies imparting forward and continuous motion and often stresses the effect rather than the impetus.

a ship driven aground by hurricane winds

Where would impel be a reasonable alternative to move?

The synonyms impel and move are sometimes interchangeable, but impel is usually figurative and suggests a great motivating impetus.

a candidate impelled by ambition

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of move
Verb
The car is designed to transform throughout the show, serving not only as a car but also as a bed and a bench as the story moves between locations. — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026 Spain moves kings’ remains to avoid fire Spanish authorities on Thursday night transferred the remains of three 11th century kings from a monastery in the northeastern Aragón region near an active wildfire. — Angela Charlton, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Noun
These new shutdowns are the latest in a series of moves that have whittled down Netflix’s internal game business, which now consists of Next Games, which is based in Helsinki, as well as a gaming team that works with external developers. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 Still, that move alone is unlikely to make a significant difference. — Magdalena Del Valle, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for move
Recent Examples of Synonyms for move
  1. relocate
  2. drive
  3. shift
  4. affect
  5. encourage
  6. persuade
  7. activate
  8. exit
Verb
  • There was widespread concern in San Antonio last fall that a failure to approve a new arena could open the door for the Spurs to relocate to Austin.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • If the Act passes, Amazon warned it may be forced to relocate its 10 distribution centers outside New York City, resulting in slower delivery times to customers.
    — Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of relocate
Verb
  • The project, which is expected to take two years, has brought construction noise, dust and the loss of nearby parking spaces, all of which merchants say have driven customers away.
    — Maddie White, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This heat drives the park’s geysers and hot springs while producing frequent earthquakes and gradual changes in the ground.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of drive
Verb
  • In recent years, the Army shifted more of its recruiting effort into large Democratic-leaning cities after traditional recruiting strongholds in the South, rural America and the suburbs could no longer produce enough qualified volunteers.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Citi also said some inventory supply was likely shifted from the second to the third quarter to capture the full benefit of a second round of average selling price hikes that took effect July 18.
    — Lee Ying Shan,Sarah Min, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of shift
Verb
  • Other governments, including the US, have their own rules and disclosure requirements, but beyond the breadth of the controls in China, the sheer number of people affected is striking – and reaches far beyond civil servants.
    — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • That, like this year, was an El Niño year, when a warming of the Pacific near the equator increases Pacific hurricane activity and affects weather patterns across the globe.
    — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of affect
Verb
  • Separating students from those pressures for several hours could encourage face-to-face conversation and give overwhelmed teenagers a genuine break.
    — Kavin Bendre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Protecting elections and encouraging thoughtful voting is imperative to retake control of our government.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of encourage
Verb
  • Topline Consumer prices rose as expected in July, according to Federal data published Wednesday, as analysts projected an in-line inflation report would likely persuade the Federal Reserve not to raise interest rates next month.
    — Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Police called in crisis negotiators to persuade the man to surrender as firefighters extinguished the fire.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of persuade
Verb
  • Compliant Technologies says the devices function as a normal pair of patrol gloves until officers press a switch to activate their electrical mode.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The attacker on the other side of the keyboard would likely be able to activate the mechanisms in the credential management app to log in to a site or download all the passwords.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of activate
Verb
  • David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, exited the campaign in July but revived it days later after receiving Evers' endorsement.
    — Gaby Vinick, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • According to Chicago police, a 25-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman were exiting the gas station when a silver Nissan sedan approached and the occupants inside pulled out guns and shot in their direction.
    — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of exit

Phrases Containing move

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Cite this Entry

“Move.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/move. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on move

Nglish: Translation of move for Spanish Speakers

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