MOVES Synonyms: 455 Similar and Opposite Words

moves 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of move

as in relocates

to change the place or position of I need you to move all your books off that chair before company gets here

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Relevance

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as in drives

to set or keep in motion the hands of the wall clock are moved by battery

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as in shifts

to change one's position don't move while I'm trying to draw your portrait

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as in influences

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

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as in provokes

to rouse to strong feeling or action the heartfelt appeal moved the people to reach into their pockets and donate generously

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as in persuades

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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as in activates

to cause to function this one button moves the whole machine

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as in exits

to leave a place often for another the police officer told the loiterers to move along

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moves

2 of 2

noun

plural of move

as in means

an action planned or taken to achieve a desired result retiring early was a smart move

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as in movements

the act or an instance of changing position don't make a move

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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 moves

Verb

The film has to meet the needs of romance, but isn’t that the problem, the expectation that life moves like genre? — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026 Amtrak and Canal Edge, LLC have an explicit financial interest in ensuring this project moves forward quickly. — Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026 Together, the studies suggest the machinery that moves us also helps maintain us. — New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026 As a robot moves through an environment, its cameras continuously capture images, often recording the same objects from multiple viewpoints. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026 The episode moves through the housing crash by following a chain of people relevant to the market collapsing. — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026 The combination moves the drone delivery company further beyond a series of regional pilots toward a nationwide network built around its large retail and food delivery partners. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2026 As the football season progresses – as quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s knee injury moves further in the distance – and as more film comes out, the element of surprise is gone for UCLA’s Ty Dieffenbach. — Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026 As part of its process, the powered gimbal moves the image around in the general direction the projector's already facing, stopping the movement several times in the process before continuing, and adjusting the image size several times as well. — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026

Noun

These moves are expected to enhance the company’s ability to sell more at full price, Plank believes. — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2026 The sponsor decides the customer portal launch moves back three months so the billing conversion lands on time. — Leslie Ellis, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026 But Thursday's moves marked the steepest one-day declines since the April 2025 tariff shock. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026 Your right hand moves and the scenery begins flying past considerably faster. — Kevin Fanady, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026 Among the other moves will be elevating Mustafa Ozgen to CEO of Roku, with Pete Distad, CEO of Fox direct-to-consumer, adding Tubi and Roku’s Frndly TV to his oversight. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2026 The moves reflected a retreat among investors from some of this year’s hottest trades. — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026 The moves are the latest evidence of the US-Iran war reshaping the region’s security architecture. — Damian Zane, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2026 Neither flag moves or changes as the story of two marines accused of murder and defended by a hotshot junior lawyer — known to most as a young Tom Cruise from the 1992 movie, Sorkin’s first — unfolds between them. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for moves

Verb

Desperate to rebuild her life, Maya relocates to Alaska, where she is partnered with Detective Joanna Doyle (Winnick), an accomplished officer carrying the weight of her own devastating past.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
But Resurrection is a return to form, as our genial serial killer relocates to New York after his now-adult son starts his own murder spree.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of relocates

Verb

Gen Alpha already drives nearly half of household spending and more than $100 billion in direct annual purchases.

— Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2026
Rather than deliver a traditional acceptance speech, the actress settled in for an onstage conversation with Fonda that offered a glimpse into what drives her philanthropy and activism.

— Paul Chi, Vogue, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

Their goal was for the album to tell a story of radicalization, following a protagonist who shifts from complacency to an awareness of injustice and institutional oppression, and ultimately resolves to act against it.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
This then shifts the star’s color away from the more typical orange, white, and blue.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of shifts

Verb

Along with their organization’s missions, the pair picked horror because of the conversations the genre provokes.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Another question, says Professor Trotti at Ithaca College, is whether a public execution portrays strength or provokes horror.

— Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of provokes

Verb

Nevertheless, Baron Cohen persuades real politicians, including Gingrich and Congressman Andy Harris, to condemn the fake cartel leader.

— Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
Fielder persuades Holmes to watch it for the first time, on a laptop in the couple’s bed.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of persuades

Verb

The accumulating damage persistently activates the innate immune system—the body’s first line of defense—leading to what is known as inflammaging, functional decline and chronic diseases of old age.

— Kristel Tjandra, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026
For controls, the left earcup has a power button, while the right earcup has a noise-control button that activates your voice assistant when held down.

— Christian de Looper, PC Magazine, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

Dry and cool week ahead After the rain exits Tuesday, North Texas will be dry and cool.

— Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026
Her chances at having a baby only seemed to worsen in 2014, when a colorectal surgeon attempted to reposition her stoma — an opening in the abdomen through which waste exits the body — to make pregnancy possible, but the surgery was unsuccessful.

— Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2026