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  • stop motion
    stop motion
    noun
    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
    stop-motion
Synonyms

stop motion

American  

noun

Movies.
  1. 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.

  2. 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).

  3. freeze frame.


stop-motion British  

noun

    1. a technique used in animation and photography in which a subject is filmed then adjusted a frame at a time

    2. ( as modifier )

      stop-motion animation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 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

“I don’t think stop motion will ever be as big as cel or computers,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2024

“It’s so good to know this art form we love so much — stop motion — is very much alive and well,” said co-director Mark Gustafson.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 12, 2023

Operating procedure when a storm hits is to stop motion and wait for the storm to pass.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Henderson worked on the show with Will Anderson, the former as a stop-motion animator, the latter on digital animation, 2-D animation, compositing and finishing shots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Made by the stop-motion animation studio behind 2009 hit "Coraline," "Wildwood" follows a young girl who must venture into an enchanted forest after her brother is whisked away by crows.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

Slate film critic Dana Stevens raves, “It’s a dazzling exploration of the possibilities of stop-motion technology, as well as a classic coming-of-age fairy tale.”

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026

Students at Aardman's Academy are also being taught to embrace imperfection in the painstaking art of stop-motion, where every blink, smile and movement is created by hand.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

He’d relaxed into his normal self now and was describing the new stop-motion video he was in the middle of making.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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