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

Frequent gusts of 30 to 40 mph are possible once the front moves through the Chesapeake Bay and inland eastern North Carolina. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 Other Panthers moves before Eagles Those aren’t the only moves the Panthers made Saturday. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2026 The threat should gradually diminish later tonight as the front moves offshore. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Today, tank farms line both sides of the coastal highway near the port, and a network of pipes moves products among terminals and to ships. — semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026 The film moves the outbreak onto city streets and into malls, with action also staged at an airport. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 That moves an organization from understanding what systems can do to understanding what systems actually did. — Scott Alldridge, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 The launch comes as federal policy moves decisively toward domestic production. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026 More rain is expected in the region as a weakening Isaias moves north. — Charles Minshew, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Noun

One of Lula’s first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, non-consecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 On Friday, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh offered no hints about potential interest rate policy moves while attending a meeting of financial leaders in Bangkok. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 The moves represent the next stage of JWS’ evolution from a media brand into the central digital infrastructure for women’s sports, offering a single destination to follow the games, teams and leagues. — Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Such moves both strengthen the axis countries and weaken the cohesion of the network best positioned to confront them. — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026 That gap gets more expensive as AI moves from a single chatbot to a team of agents working a task together. — Osman Koc, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 The moves may not always make sense, but patterns develop and these patterns can create opportunities. — Jay Woods, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 Jake Johnson has been making a ton of moves lately in his acting career, segueing from one high profile project to the next. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026 Heat’s roster moves The Heat made roster moves following Thursday’s exhibition involving its Exhibit 10 players. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 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

The ability for employees to find the best opportunities for themselves and for employers to find the best candidates for the job help to drive innovation, which drives productivity, which drives growth, Richardson has said.

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Oscar drives her home and, paralyzed by the situation, leaves her unconscious at her family’s door.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

This difference influences how nuclear fuel behaves and how a reactor sustains fission.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Although this can lose some of the intricate ways the global climate influences local weather events, the team was able to achieve a resolution of just 30 square miles, about the size of Glendale.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of influences

Verb

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
In deceptively plain diction, the hurdle of one love relationship provokes an exploration of desire and belonging.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of provokes

Verb

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
While posing artfully in the store’s shop window, Klara catches the eye of Josie (Mia Tharia), who persuades her mother Chrissie (Amy Adams) to buy her as a companion.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of persuades

Verb

The agency rejected the recommendation, saying that using cameras that automatically activate when an officer pulls their weapon or activates a car siren could risk privacy concerns.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
And a few are very highly specific, such as the protease that activates insulin, which only cuts near a very specific series of amino acids.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

Afternoon temperatures will tumble from the lower 80s back into the 40s and 50s overnight with breezy winds, as the rain slowly exits during the overnight hours.

— Cutter Martin, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Another customer who was standing in between the singer and employee at the register during the showdown appears to look around in disbelief at what just happened after the hitmaker exits.

— Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026