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

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Etymology

Origin of movement

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

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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

Now, some members of the earlier generation of tradwives are sounding the alarm about the movement.

From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026

"We've created a massive movement in this province," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

Weeks of student-led protests over conditions in the country’s schools morphed into a broader movement that drew people of all ages protesting the rising cost of living.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Speaking to the BBC World Service's Newsday programme, Rath, a lawyer based in Calgary, said he saw Monday's vote as a "first step" which had taught the movement some "valuable lessons".

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

She looked over to see that Boaz had turned white as a sheet, and she glimpsed the small movement of a rat disappearing into a nearby pile of garbage bags.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

EssilorLuxottica reported third-quarter revenue of 7.49 billion euros, representing a 7.2% increase excluding currency movements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

"France serves as a protest model for other movements witnessed in northern Italy, Brussels and Portugal," Maillard said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

By examining these subtle movements over time, researchers can investigate processes happening far below the surface without directly observing the magma itself.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026

While vessel locations alone cannot definitively establish the family's whereabouts, their movements - which overlap with gaps in Kim's public appearances - point to activities that would otherwise remain out of public view.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

So long as the underlying bonds remained outstanding, both buyer and seller of credit default swaps were obliged to post collateral, in response to their price movements.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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Related Words

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

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