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.
-
to start off or leave.
It's time to be moving.
-
to transfer a piece in a game, as chess or checkers.
-
(of the bowels) to discharge or eject the feces; evacuate.
-
to be active in a particular sphere.
to move in musical society.
-
to take action; proceed.
-
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
-
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.
-
to transfer (a piece in a game) from one position to another.
-
to dispose of (goods) by sale.
-
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.
-
(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
-
move up to advance to a higher level.
-
move on
-
to leave or go away.
I’ve been in this job ten years and it’s time to move on.
-
to approach or attack as a military target.
The army is moving on the capital itself.
-
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
-
(intr) (of machines, etc) to work or operate
-
(tr) to cause (to do something); prompt
-
(intr) to begin to act
move soon or we'll lose the order
-
(intr) to associate oneself with a specified social circle
to move in exalted spheres
-
(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 36-year-old tower crane operator in Nashville, Tenn., who works 12-hour shifts, helps lift and move rebar and buckets of concrete from a perch often hundreds of feet in the air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Their ability to move through dense material also makes neutrinos valuable messengers from otherwise inaccessible regions of the universe.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
"It makes it a bit easier for a young player to move up from the academy and make the step into A-league football."
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
But we also want to move away from a cultural view that treats men as the default and women as aberrations, or at least variations on a male norm.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
A knock, Clare knew, that would not stay long if he did not move quickly.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The entire offense moves to a different tempo when he’s healthy and can run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
The lack of snow could have important consequences as Antarctica moves into its warmer months.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
The third race of this second triple-header of the season moves on to Brazil and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, from 6-8 November.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Friday was month-end, which can trigger limited liquidity and exaggerated moves.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
He moves among our group quietly, stopping every now and then to inspect hats, mittens, sweaters.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
There is some annoyance in refereeing circles that the goalposts keep being moved when analysing decisions.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Defense Department has moved to wean itself off such shipments with a pending ban on Chinese tungsten, as well as a $450 million investment in a U.S. producer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
As she watched the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fight racial discrimination in the South, Bass witnessed whites abandoning the Fairfax District as Black families moved in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
This year, 65 women ran, and 19 moved forward to be on the November ballot.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
Whether Eleanor realized that or not, I wasn’t sure, but she moved on to another one.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Optical technologies have become key to moving artificial-intelligence data at high speeds.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
A recently introduced feature that shows Russian drones and missiles moving in real time was suspended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
China Media Group had earlier demanded apologies from the three parties, calling them "an absolute prerequisite" for moving past the incident.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
As they move, they transfer angular momentum to the molecular structure, producing rotation in much the same way that moving air turns a wind turbine.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
I told myself I was no more than a moving plaster mannequin.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
