motion picture

American  

[moh-shuhn pik-cher] / ˈmoʊ ʃən ˈpɪk tʃər /

noun

1. Movies.

   1. a sequence of consecutive still images photographed in a series by a specially designed camera motion-picture camera and thrown on a screen by a projector motion-picture projector in such rapid succession as to give the illusion of natural movement.

      Jean Cocteau produced some of the most innovative motion pictures of the postwar era.

   2. such a video sequence recorded and played in other media formats, as VHS or digital video.

      Critics have given mixed reviews to the new trend of feature-length motion pictures shot on smartphones.

2. a story, event, or the like, presented in this form.

   The motion picture is adapted from the novel of the same name.

3. motion pictures, the art, technique, or business of producing motion pictures.

   The Academy honors achievement in motion pictures every year at the Oscars.

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motion picture British  

noun

1. Also called: film.

   1. a sequence of images of moving objects photographed by a camera and providing the optical illusion of continuous movement when projected onto a screen

   2. a form of entertainment, information, etc, composed of such a sequence of images and shown in a cinema, etc

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Other Word Forms

• motion-picture
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of motion picture

First recorded in 1890–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

motion picture

“There was a general philosophy in Hollywood that the billion-dollar-movie box-office days were behind us,” said Sanford Panitch, president of the motion picture group at Sony Pictures.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

That’s one reason the U.S. motion picture and video industry has lost 106,300 jobs over the last four years, 63,400 of them since the beginning of the pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

What we’re likely to be left with is an adaptation that hits all of the beats of the hundreds of motion picture takes on the story with all of their charms and idiosyncrasies smoothed away.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that in 2023, there were 2,610 motion picture projectionists employed in the U.S. — an increase from 1,900 in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Here is the answer to the cynics who give the motion picture no place in the family arts .

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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Related Words

• cinema
• feature film
• flick
• talkie

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