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
-
to advance or progress.
The red racing car moved into the lead.
-
to have a regular motion, as an implement or a machine; turn; revolve.
-
to sell or be sold.
That new model is moving well.
-
to start off or leave.
It's time to be moving.
-
to transfer a piece in a game, as chess or checkers.
-
(of the bowels) to discharge or eject the feces; evacuate.
-
to be active in a particular sphere.
to move in musical society.
-
to take action; proceed.
-
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
-
to set or keep in motion.
- Synonyms:
- agitate
-
to prompt, actuate, or impel to some action.
What moved you to do this?
-
to arouse or excite the feelings or passions of; affect with emotion (usually followed byto ).
to move someone to anger.
-
to affect with tender or compassionate emotion; touch.
The tale of tragedy moved her.
-
to transfer (a piece in a game) from one position to another.
-
to dispose of (goods) by sale.
-
to cause (the bowels) to discharge or eject the feces.
-
to propose formally, as to a court or judge, or for consideration by a deliberative assembly.
-
to submit a formal request or proposal to (a court, a sovereign, etc.).
noun
-
moves
plural
-
an act or instance of moving; movement.
-
a change of location or residence.
-
an action toward an objective or goal; step.
a move toward a higher tax.
-
(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
-
move up to advance to a higher level.
-
move on
-
to leave or go away.
I’ve been in this job ten years and it’s time to move on.
-
to approach or attack as a military target.
The army is moving on the capital itself.
-
to progress or change.
Those hats were popular once, but fashion has moved on.
-
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.
-
move in on
-
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.
-
-
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
-
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.
-
to hurry; hasten.
-
verb
-
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)
-
to be or cause to be in motion; stir
-
(intr) (of machines, etc) to work or operate
-
(tr) to cause (to do something); prompt
-
(intr) to begin to act
move soon or we'll lose the order
-
(intr) to associate oneself with a specified social circle
to move in exalted spheres
-
(intr) to make progress
-
(tr) to arouse affection, pity, or compassion in; touch
-
(in board games) to change the position of (a piece) or (of a piece) to change position
-
(intr) (of merchandise) to be disposed of by being bought
-
to suggest (a proposal) formally, as in debating or parliamentary procedure
-
(intr; usually foll by on or along) to go away or to another place; leave
-
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
-
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
-
advancing; succeeding
-
very active; busy
-
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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movesimple
-
movessimple
-
have movedperfect
-
has movedperfect
-
am movingprogressive
-
are movingprogressive
-
is movingprogressive
-
have been movingperfect progressive
-
has been movingperfect progressive
Past
-
movedsimple
-
had movedperfect
-
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:
The move was widely seen as an intimidation tactic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The cold-dish move has virtually drowned out El-Sayed’s closing message, with Stevens being formally kicked out of the Michigan Democratic Party.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
And yet, when I asked whether Stevens’ endorsement would actually move votes, even Johnson wasn’t convinced.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
Konsa could move to right-back, a position he also made his England debut in, which would allow Saliba to slot in next to Gabriel in his regular spot.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Sometimes in the morning she could not move them at all and two of us would have to carry her between us.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The entire offense moves to a different tempo when he’s healthy and can run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
It’s a familiar scenario: A civil servant gets laid off and moves back in with family, far from Washington, D.C.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
The third race of this second triple-header of the season moves on to Brazil and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, from 6-8 November.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Friday was month-end, which can trigger limited liquidity and exaggerated moves.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
The market often underestimated the likelihood of extreme moves in prices.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Anne Soffin, a Jewish woman from Grosse Pointe who had known Stevens since she was a child, said she opposed El-Sayed and hadn’t been moved to vote for him—but she found the whole situation sad.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
England's progress has been closely monitored by Uefa, which has moved him through the levels as a VAR.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
China’s central bank moved to stabilize the yuan by draining dollar liquidity domestically, after the Chinese currency strengthened to a multiyear high against the greenback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
After spending more than $391 million on Inside Safe, Bass’ flagship program to clean up homeless encampments and house homeless people, the city moved about 6,500 people into interim housing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The afternoon sun appeared on the wall and moved slowly across the cell.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
I know firsthand how tricky it can be to talk money with your partner, but it’s an absolute must if you’re moving in together — let alone getting married.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Centcom has laid the groundwork for broader strikes, including moving more missile defenses and munitions into the region in recent weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Residents had challenged the evictions in the Delhi High Court, arguing that moving so far from their jobs, schools and communities would upend their lives.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
By changing the sights and sounds surrounding the animals, scientists could make them experience different settings without physically moving them to another location.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
She was pacing, her mouth moving with panicked urgency.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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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.
