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

Instead of using a remote or control panel, the player moves into position and signals with a simple hand gesture for the ball, and the AI biometrics locate and pinpoint the player position. — Shirl Leigh july 13, New Atlas, 13 July 2026 This recent flight, announced this week, confirmed the drone’s flight controls and performance as the program moves closer to carrier use. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026 Among the ships open for tours is the USS Arlington, a nearly 700-foot-long Navy amphibious transport ship, which typically moves Marines, Sailors and dignitaries across the world. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 13 July 2026 Terra Incognita moves more laterally, each track folding in on itself as the players discover and document all its hidden strata. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026 Daylight Saving Time begins on March 8 and moves the clock forward one hour creating longer evenings and darker mornings. — Mary Ella Hastings updated July 13, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 July 2026 Wesley Ace of Gardena Serra moves from safety to cornerback to prepare himself for San Jose State. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026 There’s just so many different ways to create something that moves people. — Peter White, Deadline, 13 July 2026 The moody Moon moves through your 7th House of Partnership as the Sun energizes your 11th House of Friends and Community, aligning cooperation with a larger purpose. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026

Noun

Atlas performed a series of soccer moves developed using a combination of motion retargeting, reinforcement learning and whole-body control. — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026 Such moves are especially worrisome for Capital Economics, which pointed out that similar selloffs have previously only happened during bear markets like during the Asian financial crisis, the dot-com bubble, and the Great Financial Crisis. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 July 2026 Both teams’ stars came to play with top spot in Group K up for grabs, with the flair and technical quality on display making for a compelling watch with sweeping moves and 37 shots. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026 The moves were meant to reshape the roster to maximize superstar Luka Doncic, who will take the reins with the departure of LeBron James. — Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026 The moves effectively dismantled the infrastructure meant to inform election officials of potential cyber threats. — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 28 June 2026 Off a fantastic pass from Kylian Mbappé from the opposite side of the pitch, Ousmane Dembélé unleashed a quick flurry of dribble moves into the right side of the box before burying a goal. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 27 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for moves

Verb

The process relocates healthy follicles to areas affected by thinning or recession.

— Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
Simply titled Elle, the new prequel series chronicles Elle's time as a high school student in Seattle after her family relocates from Los Angeles.

— Emma Banks, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026

Definition of relocates

Verb

There is little reason to believe that a careful weighing of risk and benefit really drives interest in Colossal’s de-extinction efforts.

— Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026
During his winter drives up Interstate 80 toward Lake Tahoe, Sean Bigley keeps his eyes peeled.

— Corey Schmidt July 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

Even fewer have the potential to do something profound and ignite a new narrative about a place that shifts how an entire neighborhood, city, or even a country is preceived from the outside in.

— Peter Lane Taylor, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
For California, this typically shifts the winter jet stream farther south, potentially bringing more storms to Southern California, according to NOAA.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of shifts

Verb

By calling a game early for excessive precipitation (or making players continue to trudge through poor conditions), an umpire’s subjective view of weather conditions directly influences MLB records.

— Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 9 July 2026
That gap in knowledge is becoming increasingly important as climate change influences weather patterns around the world and extreme events are expected to become more frequent and, in some cases, more intense.

— Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of influences

Verb

The emergency declaration activates the state agriculture department’s relief resources to help farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses recover.

— Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Argentina fans, meanwhile, are unique in all sports—other countries have fan bases that get loud, but a stadium full of Argentineans activates something primordial.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026

Definition of activates

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Style

“Moves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moves. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of moves

verb

noun

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