move
Americanverb (used without object)
-
moves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
moved,
past participle, past
-
moving
present participle
-
to pass from one place or position to another.
-
to go from one place of residence to another.
They moved from Tennessee to Texas.
- Synonyms:
- remove
-
to advance or progress.
The red racing car moved into the lead.
-
to have a regular motion, as an implement or a machine; turn; revolve.
-
to sell or be sold.
That new model is moving well.
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to start off or leave.
It's time to be moving.
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to transfer a piece in a game, as chess or checkers.
-
(of the bowels) to discharge or eject the feces; evacuate.
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to be active in a particular sphere.
to move in musical society.
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to take action; proceed.
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to make a formal request, application, or proposal.
to move for a new trial.
verb (used with object)
-
moves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
moved,
past participle, past
-
moving
present participle
-
to change from one place or position to another.
- Antonyms:
- fix
-
to set or keep in motion.
- Synonyms:
- agitate
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to prompt, actuate, or impel to some action.
What moved you to do this?
-
to arouse or excite the feelings or passions of; affect with emotion (usually followed byto ).
to move someone to anger.
-
to affect with tender or compassionate emotion; touch.
The tale of tragedy moved her.
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to transfer (a piece in a game) from one position to another.
-
to dispose of (goods) by sale.
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to cause (the bowels) to discharge or eject the feces.
-
to propose formally, as to a court or judge, or for consideration by a deliberative assembly.
-
to submit a formal request or proposal to (a court, a sovereign, etc.).
noun
-
moves
plural
-
an act or instance of moving; movement.
-
a change of location or residence.
-
an action toward an objective or goal; step.
a move toward a higher tax.
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(in chess, checkers, etc.) a player's right or turn to make a play.
-
a play or maneuver, as in a game or sport.
verb phrase
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move up to advance to a higher level.
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move on
-
to leave or go away.
I’ve been in this job ten years and it’s time to move on.
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to approach or attack as a military target.
The army is moving on the capital itself.
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to progress or change.
Those hats were popular once, but fashion has moved on.
-
to move past an upsetting experience and go on with one’s life.
-
-
move over to change or cause to change to another position, especially to make room for another.
to make space by moving over.
-
move in to begin to occupy a place in which to live or work.
-
move in on
-
to approach or make advances toward usurping another's success, authority, position, or the like.
-
to take aggressive steps to control or possess.
The company has not yet moved in on the consumer market.
-
-
move out to leave a place in order to start or continue a planned march, maneuver, journey, etc..
The troops will move out of the encampment at dawn.
idioms
-
make one's move, to act, especially to assert oneself at an opportune time.
-
put moves on, to make sexual advances toward. Also make a move on.
-
on the move,
-
busy; active.
on the move from morning till night.
-
going from place to place.
Infantry units have been on the move all day.
-
advancing; progressing.
an industry on the move.
-
-
get a move on,
-
to begin; act.
We'd better get a move on before it rains.
-
to hurry; hasten.
-
verb
-
to go or take from one place to another; change in location or position
-
(usually intr) to change (one's dwelling, place of business, etc)
-
to be or cause to be in motion; stir
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(intr) (of machines, etc) to work or operate
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(tr) to cause (to do something); prompt
-
(intr) to begin to act
move soon or we'll lose the order
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(intr) to associate oneself with a specified social circle
to move in exalted spheres
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(intr) to make progress
-
(tr) to arouse affection, pity, or compassion in; touch
-
(in board games) to change the position of (a piece) or (of a piece) to change position
-
(intr) (of merchandise) to be disposed of by being bought
-
to suggest (a proposal) formally, as in debating or parliamentary procedure
-
(intr; usually foll by on or along) to go away or to another place; leave
-
to cause (the bowels) to evacuate or (of the bowels) to be evacuated
-
informal (intr) to be exciting or active
the party started moving at twelve
-
to take every step possible (to achieve something)
noun
-
the act of moving; movement
-
one of a sequence of actions, usually part of a plan; manoeuvre
-
the act of moving one's residence, place of business, etc
-
-
a player's turn to move his piece or take other permitted action
-
a permitted manoeuvre of a piece
-
-
informal
-
to get started
-
to hurry up
-
-
informal (usually used with a negative) to take even the slightest action
don't make a move without phoning me
-
to commit oneself to a position or course of action
-
-
travelling from place to place
-
advancing; succeeding
-
very active; busy
-
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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movesimple
-
movessimple
-
have movedperfect
-
has movedperfect
-
am movingprogressive
-
are movingprogressive
-
is movingprogressive
-
have been movingperfect progressive
-
has been movingperfect progressive
Past
-
movedsimple
-
had movedperfect
-
was movingprogressive
-
were movingprogressive
-
had been movingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of move
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English meven, moven, from Anglo-French mover, ultimately from Latin movēre
Explanation
To move is to shift your position or change where you are. It can be a little spooky to hear a sleepwalker move around a dark house at night. You can move from one room to another, or move from Oregon to New Hampshire, changing the place where you live. Dancers move their bodies as they move around on a stage, and chess players move pieces strategically on the board. If someone inspires you to do something, or makes you feel an intense emotion, you can also say that they move you. When your dad says, "Get a move on!" he basically means "Hurry up!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The regulator warned that it couldn’t move ahead without the support of Mitsotakis, who two weeks earlier had sat next to Lagarde at a forum in a Greek beach resort.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The move cost more than £400,000, funded by a £230,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and additional donations.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The move highlights the importance of technology development and the growing role of Disney+ as the company’s so-called digital centerpiece under new chief executive Josh D’Amaro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Still, the move to 5% has investors taking notice, said Brian Rehling, co-head of global fixed-income strategy at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
‘Don’t move your hand,’ said Renn beside him.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Less positively, they say they can’t tell whether the acquisition materially moves Netwealth ahead of peers or how sustainable the offering will be in the face of artificial-intelligence-driven competition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
But tensions flared back up later in the month after disputes over alternative shipping channels and alleged U.S. bypass moves.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
As it moves, it could wet the surrounding nitrogen ice and create the dark markings observed by New Horizons.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
New Orleans moves the ball behind Tyler Shough, but turnovers and a leaky defense can only take you so far.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Each kind of wave moves at a different speed, and those different speeds make it possible for some very clever equipment to detect an earthquake before it can be felt by humans.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
But his education in American pop culture started long before he moved to the United States.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The campaign to have the statue moved back into the park faced a number of administrative hurdles, and required permission from the Royal Parks and Westminster City Council.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
In September, Walters moved out of his childhood home and rented a small house with Oxford that belonged to Oxford’s sister.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve moved to raise rates for the first time in three years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
His mother has moved to California from New Hampshire to be with her youngest daughter, Phebe, and her new husband, David Shattuck.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Major companies like Exxon and Tesla are moving their legal homes there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Rush hour traffic was moving slowly when Rios’s Expedition entered one of the busiest junctions in the San Fernando Valley, but the SUV did not appear to brake before it T-boned the bus, witnesses said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
David Kennedy from the Scottish Police Federation says there is definitely "more to do" on face coverings although he cautions that localised enforcement might simply see youths moving elsewhere.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
She is behind the 8 ball, as usual, moving too slowly, and talks about moving him way too far away from me to be able to visit him very often.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
“We should go back down,” I say, at the same time he blurts out, “Eliot’s moving into our house. I just found out today.”
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
