Also called stop frame. the process of filming puppets and other objects one frame at a time while incrementally moving or modifying them, giving the illusion of lifelike motion when the captured film frames are viewed in rapid sequence (often used attributively): a stop-motion film.
stop-motion animation;
a stop-motion film.
Also called stop action. a special effect in cinematography, carried out while shooting, in which the performers stop their motion and the camera is stopped while an object or performer is added to or removed from the scene, with camera movement and action then resumed for the remainder of the scene: used to create an illusion of sudden appearance or disappearance of persons or objects (often used attributively).
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The breakup of a plate doesn't just stop motion -- it reshapes the planet.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2025
The stop motion animation had been filmed in Mr Firmin's barn in Blean, just outside Canterbury, Kent.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2024
That appreciation for the craft of stop motion, inevitably susceptible to human excellence and error, propelled Gustafson throughout his career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
“Our stop motion director of photography took meticulous notes of every single shot,” Lepore said.
From New York Times ● Jun. 28, 2022
Operating procedure when a storm hits is to stop motion and wait for the storm to pass.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
The culmination of years of tireless work and financial stress for the Ambriz siblings is the breathtaking period fantasy “I Am Frankelda,” Mexico’s first-ever stop-motion feature, which is now streaming on Netflix.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
There’s a teleportation device, a handsome demon played by LaKeith Stanfield and skinless stop-motion humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
The 29-year-old video editor was also commissioned to create a stop-motion animation—her “passion project”— for an upcoming event.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
From the same studio that created the “Wallace & Gromit,” “Shaun the Sheep” and “Chicken Run” films comes a different type of stop-motion animation that trades smooth plasticine for the warmer, more tactile needle felting.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025
From her vantage point, she could see Matthew putting together another stop-motion video.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
