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

Colorado moves way up to one spot ahead of Georgia Tech after blocking the final field goal for the road win over the Yellow Jackets. — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Buoyed by her leadership of the multi-billion-dollar expansion project last decade, Espino moves up from deputy administrator to take full command of the canal. — ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026 The 2026 phase moves the program toward full integration of the AUR. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026 This shimmering, sonorous work, from one of our greatest living directors, moves through the peculiar landscapes of human interaction with certainty, eccentricity and grace, alighting on a generous if rueful conclusion. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026 As the tone moves toward horror, though, the decision to make the host the story quickly stops paying dividends. — Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Rene Mantilla, an assistant superintendent over the office of post-secondary, career and technical education, moves into a principal role. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 Critics questioned the movie’s unusual blend of genres, which moves from romance and comedy to drama and supernatural fantasy. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026 Areas farther east could see greater impacts if the center moves toward the Sabine Pass area, as some forecast guidance currently suggests. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Noun

One of Monster’s most interesting narrative moves is to shift the power dynamics between Bridget and Lizzie as their murderous plans get underway. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 Testing moves toward laboratories The INL Foundation will support early fundraising and help facilitate access to Idaho National Laboratory. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 The stock market rallied to its best day in six weeks Thursday after falling oil prices and easing pressure from the bond market helped Wall Street reverse many of its moves from the prior day. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 There is a very small chance for a brief storm or shower east of I-35 as somewhat deeper moisture moves into eastern North Texas. — Nelly Carreño, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 Once the 10-year yield moves above 5%, the relationship between stocks and bonds changes, Sharma said, pointing to historical data showing that the equity-bond correlation becomes positive. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026 Money moves say a lot more than public polls about where parties think races are competitive. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 17 Sep. 2026 With protests against the moves beginning to take shape, the crackdowns show no signs of letting up, even as international attention and condemnation begins to pour in. — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026 But in an era when only six of the 20 teams spent under £100million this summer, those bargain-basement deals have given way to big-money moves. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for moves

Verb

Sleepless in Seattle follows widower Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks), who relocates to Seattle with his young son Jonah (Ross Malinger).

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
Rather than killing the snakes found on its property, Cat Haven relocates them to areas farther from the cats, according to Anderson.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of relocates

Verb

Sandra Lim, The Curious Thing While there is an undercurrent of a breakup throughout this collection, particularly in the third section, what drives this book is a reorientation of the self in the world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Speakers noted the Republican nominee's oil and gas investments as the energy sector amasses profits while the Iran war drives up fuel costs.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

The evolution of strategies can lead to stable populations, bistable populations (where the population flips between two stable strategies), or limit cycles, where the population shifts continuously among multiple strategies.

— Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Try meeting their needs first and see if their behavior shifts.

— Juli Fraga, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of shifts

Verb

The development provokes a leadership shake-up on both committees, prompting speculation on who will fill the spots when the next Congress opens in January.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2026
The rooms were part of Kusama’s ongoing exploration of self-obliteration and her career-long ambition to create work that provokes a keen awareness of both one’s individual insignificance and place in the wider cosmic system.

— Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of provokes

Verb

The eight-episode series, written by Peter Ocko, follows a giant tech conglomerate that persuades the city to place a powerful robot on its police force – a robot implanted with the consciousness of a beloved fallen officer, Alex Murphy (Stevens).

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Nia then persuades Tefa to join her in smuggling cell phones into the regional prison.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of persuades

Verb

Home asks for adjustments as the temperamental Moon activates your 4th House of Family and Foundations, bringing feelings up around privacy that supports your well‑being.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 16 Sep. 2026
If the vehicle has no power and the window remains fully raised, Tesla warns the glass could shatter when someone activates the release.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026