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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Words nearby stop motion

stoplight, stoplight party, stop-limit order, stop-loss, stop-loss clause, stop motion, stop-off, stop order, stop-out, stopover, stoppable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stop motion in a sentence

Stop-motion animation artist PES has unveiled a new short this week.
‘Sexual’ Barbershop Quartet, a Panda Family Reunion, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
IBM scientists used thousands of atoms to create “A Boy and His Atom,” a film with 242 frames of stop-motion action.
The Top 13 Guinness World Records of 2013: Kim Kardashian, ‘Breaking Bad,’ Colonel Meow & More||December 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The stop-motion animation took about 18 months, but with pre-production, where you storyboarded every single shot, it did add up.
Henry Selick on Directing ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’|Marlow Stern|October 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He could do two live-action features in the time took us to do a stop-motion film.
Henry Selick on Directing ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’|Marlow Stern|October 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

There is a lot to be said about stop-motion animation and the meticulous work that is put into those projects.
Selena Gomez, Lil Wayne & More Best Music Videos of the Week (VIDEO)|Jean Trinh|May 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That power which acts upon a body, either tending to create, or to stop motion.
Conversations on Natural Philosophy, in which the Elements of that Science are Familiarly Explained|Jane Haldimand Marcet and Thomas P. Jones
The shrill toot of the little whistle which commanded the engineer to stop motion became a throb in a sore tooth to Jim.
Sudden Jim|Clarence Budington Kelland
Usually, the point emphasised in the pictures bought is the shutters' ability to "stop motion" at their high speeds.
Making Your Camera Pay|Frederick C. Davis
A breakage of the yarn allows this spring to act; contact is made, and the stop motion operates as before.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 362, December 9, 1882|Various
At a is the slot for receiving the arm from the speeder and from the stop motion.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II|Joshua Rose

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