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Definition of movenext
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move

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noun

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
Share your objective achievements, and frame them in a way that benefits the team and moves the conversation forward. Chris Lipp, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 But Senate Republicans have moved ahead with their original plan, encouraging Democrats to negotiate with the administration over reforms to immigration enforcement rather than seeking a legislative fix that could risk a partial shutdown. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
The career-defining move crystallized a journey that began a decade prior. Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026 The move is standard procedure and should not be viewed as any suspicion of wrongdoing, the Department of Homeland Security said. Louis Casiano , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for move
Recent Examples of Synonyms for move
Verb
  • The animal likely lost its way while dispersing from its mother and will be relocated, San Francisco Animal Care and Control said.
    Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The difference felt physical, as if I had been picked up and relocated.
    Akhil Sharma, New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota are being driven by outside actors exploiting chaos, not organic protest, according to a protest insider warning that the situation is rapidly spiraling.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The driver then drove into the city of Wheat Ridge and allegedly crashed into a Honda Pilot near Pierce Street and West 32nd Avenue several minutes later before continuing on.
    Austen Erblat, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Hayes, 55, appears alone onstage, shifting between stark stillness and tightly wound intensity as the story closes in around him.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
  • And given its compact construction, only someone with a small build could navigate the passage by hunching over or shifting sideways, presenting an awkward picture.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Plantar fasciitis affects many of my friends and family members.
    Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Why Omega-3s Might Support Depression Omega-3s affect the brain in several ways that could help explain their potential to lift depressive symptoms.
    Sarah Garone, Health, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Warned about assignments, encouraged to job hunt This story is based on interviews with 10 current and former Post staffers drawn from both the newsroom and the business side of the paper.
    David Folkenflik, NPR, 30 Jan. 2026
  • In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Matt Damon, the star of many movies that college students may not have seen, said that Netflix has started encouraging filmmakers to put action sequences in the first five minutes of a film to get viewers hooked.
    Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Despite the court’s ruling, last week the Education Department again tried to persuade the court to extend the deadline for post-class applicants by a year and a half.
    Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The worst offender was an Ocean Beach property owner who was able to persuade family members, friends and acquaintances to put their names on more than 100 license applications for his huge portfolio of vacation rentals.
    Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.
    Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Neuroscience has long shown that watching another person experience pain activates the same neural regions as experiencing pain ourselves.
    Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The team held a moment of silence for Good, 37, who was killed while operating a vehicle that agents ordered her to exit, according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The Private Equity Playbook — Adam Coffey An operator’s guide to scaling, acquiring, and exiting businesses based on extensive private equity experience.
    Jennifer J. Fondrevay, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Move.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/move. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.

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