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

Santiago’s next hearing is scheduled for September 21, the first of what could be a lengthy series of court proceedings as the case moves forward. — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026 Central Florida will see more widespread showers and thunderstorms this weekend and into next week as a disturbance moves across the region and brings additional moisture, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. — Keily Alfonzo, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026 The Hurricanes won 33-20 at Allegacy Financial Stadium, a victory that moves them to 3-0 and 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026 Over the coming weeks, Venus' crescent will grow ever thinner while its apparent size grows larger as the planet moves closer to Earth. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Steven Segerlin, Amtrak’s head of commercial development, said the company held a series of community meetings in Chinatown starting this summer and will hold others in the affected communities as the $900 million project moves forward. — Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 The payoff usually depends on whether your partner snores, moves a lot or keeps a different schedule than you. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2026 When that happens, responsibility moves outward, but authority remains at the center. — Sariki Abungwo, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026 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

Noun

For households looking for how to reduce plastic waste, switching formats is one of the simplest moves available. — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026 The fight sequences have an engaging messiness, the characters often fumbling around rather than delivering expert moves. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 Deltatre Makes Senior Appointments Deltatre, a sports and entertainment technology provider, has announced a series of senior leadership moves. — Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026 The wide swath of executive moves is just the latest in a particularly notable c-suite shakeup at WMG over the past several years. — Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026 The latter moves between bright melodies and darker slide guitar tones, reflecting the Andes’ changing weather. — Cata Balzano, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026 The moves comes as traders assess a volatile geopolitical outlook. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for moves

Verb

The Indonesian film relocates the central romance to a setting and cultural backdrop specific to Indonesia while retaining what the studio describes as the emotional core of the original.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
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

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

Inside the glass vial lies the successor to the French company’s award-winning hair tonic, amped up with research into how the scalp’s microbiome influences your locks.

— Dan Michel, Robb Report, 19 Sep. 2026
The 10-year Treasury, for instance, strongly influences mortgage rates and this week topped 5% for the first time since 2023.

— Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of influences

Verb

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

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
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

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

One of those earlier findings was that the ectoderm of the early embryo activates two genes, one in the front half of the embryo, one in the back.

— JOHN TIMMER, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026
When the thermostat calls for cooling, the PLC activates the actuator, which physically presses the window unit’s power button.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

In flight tests, the tiny drone navigated pitch-black enclosures, mapped unknown room layouts, hugged surface contours, and located exits without a single visual cue.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Wes Gordon’s eight-year run at Carolina Herrera is often looked at as one of the most successful succession stories in fashion, an industry rife with designer turnover where founder exits can get ugly.

— Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 14 Sep. 2026