movie
Americannoun
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movies
plural
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a sequence of consecutive still images recorded in a series to be viewed on a screen in such rapid succession as to give the illusion of natural movement; motion picture.
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a story, event, or the like, presented in this form.
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movies,
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Usually the movies the movie industry.
The movies use MPA ratings to inform patrons about content that may not be suitable for certain audiences.
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all movies as a group, or a specific category of movies, considered as a genre.
gangster movies.
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the exhibition of movies.
an evening at the movies.
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Often the movies a movie theater.
Is there anything good playing at the movies on Main Street?
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noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of movie
First recorded in 1905–10; mov(ing picture) + -ie
Explanation
A movie is a film that you watch at a theater or at home on your TV, laptop, or tablet. Movie is short for "moving picture," which was pretty exciting in the late 1800s. You can rave about your favorite movie — whether it's "Citizen Kane" or "The Lion King" — and you can also talk about "the movies," or films in general and the industry that makes them. You might dream of working in the movies, for example. Before about 1912, movies were called "motion pictures." Movie is a shortened form of the phrase, which some people abbreviate into the more old-fashioned sounding "pictures."
Vocabulary lists containing movie
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 movie “9 to 5” from 1980 settled her broadening stardom; acting alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in a comedy about three office workers who get even with an abusive boss, Parton charmed viewers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Coat of Many Colors is also the title of Parton's own children's book, and a 2015 TV movie based on her life - starring Alyvia Alyn Lind as the precocious young singer dreaming of fame.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
"It was a worldwide thing. It was in a movie; it was No. 1. I thought, 'Wow. I wrote that little song'... That's when I felt my worth as a songwriter."
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The full 60-second video was meant to spoof the horror movie “Obsession,” released earlier this summer, he said, but “missed the mark.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
You notice Lucy, working on a sketch in the light from the movie.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Parton, who was known for her roles in the movies 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias, as well as the show Hannah Montana, was remembered fondly by many actors.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The lawsuit filed by the states’ attorneys general argued that the merger would create too much concentration in the markets for theatrical movies and cable TV channels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He views Ellison’s pledge to make 30 movies a year post-merger as insufficient and unenforceable once the transaction closes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
This ongoing appreciation of silent movies speaks to a common craving for simple communal appreciation of analog pleasures.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
I have enough problems these days keeping my chickens safe, and I’ve seen those superhero movies.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
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.
