movable
Americanadjective
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capable of being moved; not fixed in one place, position, or posture.
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Law. (of property)
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not permanent in reference to place; capable of being moved without injury.
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personal, as distinguished from real.
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changing from one date to another in different years.
a movable holiday.
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(of type or matrices) able to be rearranged.
noun
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an article of furniture that is not fixed in place.
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Law. Often movables. an article of personal property not attached to land.
adjective
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able to be moved or rearranged; not fixed
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(esp of religious festivals such as Easter) varying in date from year to year
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(usually speltmoveable) law denoting or relating to personal property as opposed to realty
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printing (of type) cast singly so that each character is on a separate piece of type suitable for composition by hand, as founder's type
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of movable
1350–1400; Middle English mevable, movable < Anglo-French movable. See move, -able
Explanation
When you can change or shift the position of something, it's movable. With two flat tires and a bent wheel, your bike is no longer movable. Movable comes from move and its Latin source, movere, "set in motion." If you can move something, it's movable. That can mean physically moving it, the way you relocate a movable screen to divide a room. When events are movable, their dates can change. This is the source of "a movable feast," a religious holiday that falls annually on the same day of the week but a varying date. Easter is one example of a movable holiday.
Vocabulary lists containing movable
The Renaissance and Reformation, Lessons 3–4
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Chapters 10–12
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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.
That tort takes place when a person intentionally interferes with another person’s lawful possession of movable personal property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
In practical terms, the test confirmed that ground teams can remotely control the instrument's various systems, including movable mechanisms that position its masks, color filters, lenses, and prisms.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
At the time, campaigns were a sideline for Reilly, who supported himself selling doodads and other salvaged wares in a movable flea market he operated on Fisherman’s Wharf.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The aim is then for the robot to maneuver around the telescope and latch on with three movable arms.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
One of the saddles has a movable horn, and can be easily adapted for Mina, if required.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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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.
