movement

American  

[moov-muhnt] / ˈmuv mənt /

noun

• movements
  plural

1. the act, process, or result of moving.

   Antonyms:

   stasis, inertia

2. a particular manner or style of moving.

3. Usually movements. actions or activities, as of a person or a body of persons.

4. Military, Naval. a change of position or location of troops or ships.

5. abundance of events or incidents.

   Synonyms:

   eventfulness

6. rapid progress of events.

7. the progress of events, as in a narrative or drama.

8. Fine Arts. the suggestion of motion in a work of art, either by represented gesture in figurative painting or sculpture or by the relationship of structural elements in a design or composition.

9. a progressive development of ideas toward a particular conclusion.

   the movement of his thought.

10. a series of actions or activities intended or tending toward a particular end.

    the movement toward universal suffrage.

11. the course, tendency, or trend of affairs in a particular field.

12. a diffusely organized or heterogeneous group of people or organizations tending toward or favoring a generalized common goal.

    the antislavery movement; the realistic movement in art.

13. the price change in the market of some commodity or security.

    an upward movement in the price of butter.

14. bowel movement.

15. the working parts or a distinct portion of the working parts of a mechanism, as of a watch.

16. Music.

    1. a principal division or section of a sonata, symphony, or the like.

    2. motion; rhythm; time; tempo.

17. Prosody. rhythmical structure or character.

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movement British  

/ ˈmuːvmənt /

noun

1. 1. the act, process, or result of moving

   2. an instance of moving

2. the manner of moving

3. 1. a group of people with a common ideology, esp a political or religious one

   2. the organized action of such a group

4. a trend or tendency in a particular sphere

5. the driving and regulating mechanism of a watch or clock

6. (often plural) a person's location and activities during a specific time

7. 1. the evacuation of the bowels

   2. the matter evacuated

8. music a principal self-contained section of a symphony, sonata, etc, usually having its own structure

9. tempo or pace, as in music or literature

10. fine arts the appearance of motion in painting, sculpture, etc

11. prosody the rhythmic structure of verse

12. a positional change by one or a number of military units

13. a change in the market price of a security or commodity

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movement Cultural  

1. In music, a self-contained division of a long work; each movement usually has its own tempo. A long, undivided composition is said to be in one movement.

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Synonym Usage

See motion.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• countermovement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• movements
  plural

Etymology

Origin of movement

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French; see move, -ment

Explanation

The noun movement means a change of position or location. If you're watching a play, you might notice that an actor's repeated movement from one side of the stage to the other shows her character's nervousness. A campaign to create some change or achieve a goal is another kind of movement, like the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. A major section of a musical piece is also called a movement. Each movement of a symphony can have a different tempo and feel, working to build the piece toward a dramatic finish. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has four movements.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

movement movements

Along with giving tweens and teens something to look forward to, recess encourages movement, builds social confidence, and fosters a sense of community, which are all vital to healthy development.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

The US Open introduced a policy of free fan movement in 2024, meaning fans no longer have to wait to take their seats during changeovers.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

In the MIT system, engineered bacterial cells perform a similar role by regulating the movement of small signaling molecules.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

The movement of people out of those communities could drive the total number of homeless people displaced even higher, the researchers said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

A few times, rapping sounded while the knees were held and Dr. Lee thought he felt a slight movement with every rap.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

“Foreign-exchange movements are one upside risk factor that requires close attention,” he added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

These rotations between holding midfield and central midfield are movements Maresca may also encourage Anderson to perform when others fill the space behind him.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

They do so in a quantitative way, screening for stocks whose rolling six-month, one-day percentage change is the inverse of the S&P 500 daily’s movements.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Public data that precisely tracks human locations and movements is difficult to obtain.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

Mother’s graceful movements would never make music again.

From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

• change
• crusade
• demonstration
• evolution
• faction
• flow
• group
• organization
• party
• shift
• tendency
• transfer
• trend
• unrest