stop motion

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noun Movies.

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): 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).

freeze frame (def. 1).

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use stop motion in a sentence

I wonder what that lady is doing now, and if she knows what she set in motion with Archer?
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But I think Steve Austin has to team up with a Japanese holdout to stop a nuclear bomb from going off or something.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That ground hold was to stop you flying through weather that could kill you and everyone else aboard.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Thankfully there were no casualties—the driver managed to stop the train immediately.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The men were accused of reneging on pledges to stop working for the Iraqi government.
ISIS’s Futile Quest to Go Legit|Jamie Dettmer|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In this situation we waited the motion of the enemy, without perceiving any advancement they made towards us.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
These sections also have vibrations of their own which are of shorter length and more rapid motion.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Felipe watched over her as a lover might; her great mournful eyes followed his every motion.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
"But I can't stop to argue about it now;" and, saying this, he turned into a side path, and disappeared in the wood.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
At twelve, or fifteen, or sixteen, or twenty it was decided that they should stop learning.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

British Dictionary definitions for stop motion

stop-motion

noun

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