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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

Claus had watched the replay in slow motion, allowing him to see what wasn’t apparent at game speed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

In the corner, Lionel Messi was moving almost in slow motion, his arms methodically swinging against an imaginary tide.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 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

For the next several minutes we all stood there watching the butterfly emerge from its cocoon, in slow motion.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez

By the end it does manage to suggest — with the team walking four abreast toward the camera in slow-motion — a workable future for the franchise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

The Japan story is a slow-motion version of the same squeeze.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

It doesn’t even matter that Balogun’s red card for mashing a Bosnia and Herzegovina opponent’s leg was a bit much—an overreaction to a bang-bang play that looked grimmer in slow-motion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Reports have suggested that the US questioned the use of slow-motion replays in the VAR review.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

The brightness seared into Sierra’s eyeballs, coated the inside of her brain, and burst like a languid, slow-motion explosion down her spine and through her entire body.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older