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• slow motion
  slow motion

  noun

  the process or technique of filming or taping a motion-picture or television sequence at an accelerated rate of speed and then projecting or replaying it at normal speed so that the action appears to be slowed down.
• slow-motion
  slow-motion

  adjective

  of, pertaining to or made in slow motion.

slow motion

¹ American  

noun

1. the process or technique of filming or taping a motion-picture or television sequence at an accelerated rate of speed and then projecting or replaying it at normal speed so that the action appears to be slowed down.

2. the effect thus created.

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slow-motion ² American  

[sloh-moh-shuhn] / ˈsloʊˈmoʊ ʃən /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to or made in slow motion.

   a slow-motion replay.

2. moving or proceeding at a strikingly slow rate.

   slow-motion progress toward a settlement.

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slow motion British  

noun

1. films television action that is made to appear slower than normal by passing the film through the taking camera at a faster rate than normal or by replaying a video tape recording more slowly

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adjective

1. films television of or relating to such action

2. moving or functioning at less than usual speed

Etymology

Origin of slow motion¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of slow-motion²

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slow motion slow-motion

"I feel like my brain is working in slow motion, I tend to become clumsy and way more forgetful," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

That said, watching the sweet-and-sour sauce flying in slow motion is actually quite amusing.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

With piles of snow at every intersection and pedestrians moving in slow motion, I regularly bolted ahead and mounted obstacles like a fullback rushing for glory, leaving Sarah somewhere behind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

Now Hughes blends both somatic experiencing and slow motion weight training at her personal training gyms, the Strength Shoppe, with locations in Pasadena, Mid-City and Echo Park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026

The girl took big, careful steps over the cracks in the ice, moving in wobbly slow motion.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

Moderating pay increases are another reminder of the slow-motion cost crunch that both businesses and workers are facing at the moment.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

They discussed challenging FIFA’s use of slow-motion replay to decide whether Balogun’s stepping on an opponent’s ankle constituted a red-card offense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

What is to be feared is a slow-motion migrating of human need away from other humans and toward AI, which has deeper hooks than other screen technologies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

He balanced on his crutches and took a slow-motion swing.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker