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definitions

motion picture

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR motion picture ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a sequence of consecutive pictures of objects photographed in motion 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.
a play, event, or the like, presented in this form.
motion pictures, the art, technique, or business of producing motion pictures.

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RELATED WORDS

flick, cinema, talkie, film, flicker, movie, picture, cine, cinematics, cinematograph, photodrama, photoplay, videotape

Origin of motion picture

First recorded in 1890–95
Also called movie, moving picture.
Related formsmo·tion-pic·ture, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for motion picture

Contemporary Examples of motion picture

Historical Examples of motion picture

  • He never had any intention of starting a motion-picture company.

    Jill the Reckless

    P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse

  • "Because Rick has the only motion-picture camera on the island," Scotty finished.

    Smugglers' Reef

    John Blaine

  • There is an auto with a motion-picture camera on top of it photographing our car.

    My Wonderful Visit

    Charlie Chaplin

  • But then, Mr. Pegg did not know of the incident of the motion-picture house.

    It Pays to Smile

    Nina Wilcox Putnam

  • Divide the story into scenes for a motion-picture production.

British Dictionary definitions for motion picture

motion picture

noun

US and Canadian
  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
Also called: film
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012