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
-
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:
In an unusual move, IFC and Shudder sold the rights to the opening-night title of this year’s Midnight Madness program to Blumhouse and Universal for more than $10 million after the film’s roof-raising premiere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said the move was because "inflation is too high and has been for too long", though Trump disagreed with the decision.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The company has warned it is prepared to move the company out of California if it can’t reach a deal with the states, with a potential relocation starting as soon as Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
He pays about $400 a month in HOA fees and plans to move next year, but is aware that selling will be a pain.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
It was the week before Christmas that Betsie woke up unable to move either legs or arms.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Those moves would help boost the Lakers’ valuation to at least $30 billion in a decade, the buyer group said, assuming that TV and streaming rights double in value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Looking at how De Zerbi is trying to work, it is easier to see how many of Tottenham's attacking moves are almost there in terms of creating clearer chances.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Because light moves at a finite speed, observing very distant objects also means looking into the past.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
But tensions flared back up later in the month after disputes over alternative shipping channels and alleged U.S. bypass moves.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
In the open ocean, a tsunami moves incredibly fast—up to 500 miles per hour.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Rogers eventually moved up front with fellow striker Emmanuel Emegha sidelined through injury and still waiting to make his Chelsea debut.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
In 1944, on the eve of the lunar new year, the newlyweds moved to Hengyang, a city of 300,000 souls lying in the path of Japan’s planned military offensive, Operation Ichi-Go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The South L.A. native recently moved back home after living in Kansas, where she told Corinne that strangers seemed far more at ease living with each other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
But over a third of the market has been pushed into higher-coupon bonds created as interest rates have moved higher.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Something moved in the ruts between here and the road.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
"Although it has been heartbreaking, there were also incredibly moving moments," Jung says, on reflection.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
It still has not closed above its 200-day moving average, a widely followed chart indicator that many view as a dividing line between uptrends and downtrends.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Based on this insight, Home Depot radically reimagined the business they were in: moving from one-time hardware sales to a continuing home-improvement relationship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
To test this idea, the researchers created a computer model that treats floating ice somewhat like grains moving through a silo.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Not moving makes it more likely the mule and man won’t survive the racing horde.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
