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

Such plaudits raise the question of how Movistar Plus moves forward from here. — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 The mountains east to Hickory could see an average 3 or 4 inches of rain before the system moves from the region by Sunday afternoon, NWS meteorologist Chris Horne told The Charlotte Observer. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026 The launch comes as federal policy moves decisively toward domestic production. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026 Seydoux plays Lucy, an experimental pianist who moves with her beloved but panic attack-liable husband Philip (Laurence Rupp) and young son to a rural farmhouse in Bavaria. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026 More rain is expected in the region as a weakening Isaias moves north. — Charles Minshew, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Then Sean moves away and grows up to become a spy who, after wrapping up a mission involving smuggling a nuclear warhead for reasons unknown, decides to pay an impromptu visit to his tweenage buddies. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026 Produced alongside Dave 1, the record moves through analog funk, synth-pop, darkwave, dub, tropical textures and the cinematic residue of Mexico City nightlife. — Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026 Riley was a direct inspiration on the record, and while the Bay Area composer did work with drones, his influence is more poignant here, in the way Schwendener breaks the melody down into pieces and moves them around. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 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

Kevin Mohatt | Reuters The Supreme Court heard a major case this week concerning an Intel retirement plan which could result in a decision that influences employers' appetite for private investments in 401(k)s.

— Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
AthenaZero is part of a more comprehensive research effort to understand how a robot’s physical construction influences its ability to manipulate objects.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 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

Text-message codes can be vulnerable when an attacker persuades a mobile carrier to transfer a victim’s number to the attacker’s phone.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Mark is reluctant to put up their impressive Westside home as loan collateral, but Sam persuades him that the risk will pay off and the election is all but sewn up.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 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

While some companies made dramatically bitchy exits from the state in recent years, there are signs that several are itching to get back to the golden coast.

— Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
And with that, Dunham has to get to dinner and then off to Film Forum, and Cassel exits onto the stormy street.

— Grace Byron, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2026