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Synonyms

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.
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

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of motion picture

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

“Going to the movies must be more affordable again,” Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Pictures’ motion picture group, told a crowd of exhibitors at the recent CinemaCon industry convention in Las Vegas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

KPop Demon Hunters has become a critical and awards powerhouse, winning best animated motion picture and best original song at the Golden Globes.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

With motion picture ensemble and lead male actor prizes Sunday, ‘Sinners’ keeps its best picture hopes alive.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

Outstanding animated theatrical motion picture: “KPop Demon Hunters”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

The unstructured blobs of irregular galaxies, the arms of spiral galaxies and the torus of ring galaxies exist for only a few frames in the cosmic motion picture, then dissipate, often to be reformed again.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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.