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
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to advance or progress.
The red racing car moved into the lead.
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to have a regular motion, as an implement or a machine; turn; revolve.
-
to sell or be sold.
That new model is moving well.
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to start off or leave.
It's time to be moving.
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to transfer a piece in a game, as chess or checkers.
-
(of the bowels) to discharge or eject the feces; evacuate.
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to be active in a particular sphere.
to move in musical society.
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to take action; proceed.
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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
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to set or keep in motion.
- Synonyms:
- agitate
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to prompt, actuate, or impel to some action.
What moved you to do this?
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to arouse or excite the feelings or passions of; affect with emotion (usually followed byto ).
to move someone to anger.
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to affect with tender or compassionate emotion; touch.
The tale of tragedy moved her.
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to transfer (a piece in a game) from one position to another.
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to dispose of (goods) by sale.
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to cause (the bowels) to discharge or eject the feces.
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to propose formally, as to a court or judge, or for consideration by a deliberative assembly.
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to submit a formal request or proposal to (a court, a sovereign, etc.).
noun
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moves
plural
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an act or instance of moving; movement.
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a change of location or residence.
-
an action toward an objective or goal; step.
a move toward a higher tax.
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(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
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move up to advance to a higher level.
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move on
-
to leave or go away.
I’ve been in this job ten years and it’s time to move on.
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to approach or attack as a military target.
The army is moving on the capital itself.
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to progress or change.
Those hats were popular once, but fashion has moved on.
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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.
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move in on
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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.
-
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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
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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.
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to hurry; hasten.
-
verb
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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)
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to be or cause to be in motion; stir
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(intr) (of machines, etc) to work or operate
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(tr) to cause (to do something); prompt
-
(intr) to begin to act
move soon or we'll lose the order
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(intr) to associate oneself with a specified social circle
to move in exalted spheres
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(intr) to make progress
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(tr) to arouse affection, pity, or compassion in; touch
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(in board games) to change the position of (a piece) or (of a piece) to change position
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(intr) (of merchandise) to be disposed of by being bought
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to suggest (a proposal) formally, as in debating or parliamentary procedure
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(intr; usually foll by on or along) to go away or to another place; leave
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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
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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
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advancing; succeeding
-
very active; busy
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Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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movesimple
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movessimple
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have movedperfect
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has movedperfect
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am movingprogressive
-
are movingprogressive
-
is movingprogressive
-
have been movingperfect progressive
-
has been movingperfect progressive
Past
-
movedsimple
-
had movedperfect
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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:
Then I would direct him to move away from his peers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Her move on the council floor Tuesday called for halting cold-storage companies like Lineage from doing business in the Boyle Heights area for up to two years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
An environmental officer came to the house and told Duffy he either had to "move or close his window", the court heard.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
This has helped convince investors that the index now has the all-clear to move higher, given these stocks’ tremendous influence over the direction of the S&P 500, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Torak tried the same move, hoping it didn’t look like copying.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Discovery to June 2027 while the US lawsuit seeking to block the deal moves forward.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
And yet, as one moves through “Q,” one gets the feeling that the book is ignoring a significant problem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
"I don't know where those moves came from," he grins.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
It’s also about curses and a giant house that moves around on chicken legs and a turnip-headed scarecrow and pollution and . . . see what I mean?
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
The rest of the group moves on to writing poems of their own, but Erica gives me permission to research Emily Dickinson instead.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
A Bilt spokesman said the issue affected a ‘small subset’ of customers and that the company moved quicky to correct the errors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Craig, a former pupil of Belfast High School, moved to Manchester in 2003 to study politics and modern history at the University of Manchester.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
He said his son was shot after he moved “toward the danger” when he heard gunfire in an effort to protect others, according to the AP.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
When I moved to Chicago, I assumed I would become a slightly different person.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
He moved the heavy, wobbly old wardrobe away from the wall with surprising ease and pulled my bed into the center of the room.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Measures of correlation within the S&P 500 fell to their lowest levels in years as individual stocks tallied big swings, often moving in different directions from the broader market.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Labour politician grew up in Greenisland outside Belfast before moving to Manchester for university.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Before his comments, investor confidence in the negotiations had been tested by conflicting messages on the status of talks, as well as a fresh attack on a ship moving through the strait.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Bonta said he expects Becerra will be an “incredible partner” in the fight moving forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The sound of a forest horse moving through the bracken.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
