MOVEMENT

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does movement mean? 

• MOVEMENT (noun)
  The noun MOVEMENT has 11 senses:

1. a change of position that does not entail a change of location

2. the act of changing location from one place to another

3. a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something

4. a group of people with a common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals

5. a major self-contained part of a symphony or sonata

6. a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end

7. an optical illusion of motion produced by viewing a rapid succession of still pictures of a moving object

8. a euphemism for defecation

9. a general tendency to change (as of opinion)

10. the driving and regulating parts of a mechanism (as of a watch or clock)

11. the act of changing the location of something

  Familiarity information: MOVEMENT used as a noun is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MOVEMENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A change of position that does not entail a change of location

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

motility; motion; move; movement

Context example:

gastrointestinal motility

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

change (the action of changing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "movement"):

abduction ((physiology) moving of a body part away from the central axis of the body)

adduction ((physiology) moving of a body part toward the central axis of the body)

agitation (the act of agitating something; causing it to move around (usually vigorously))

body English (a motion of the body by a player as if to make an object already propelled go in the desired direction)

circumduction (a circular movement of a limb or eye)

disturbance (the act of disturbing something or someone; setting something in motion)

fetal movement; foetal movement (motion of a fetus within the uterus (usually detected by the 16th week of pregnancy))

dart; flit (a sudden quick movement)

gesture (motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling)

headshake; headshaking (the act of turning your head left and right to signify denial or disbelief or bemusement)

inclination; inclining (the act of inclining; bending forward)

eversion; everting; inversion (the act of turning inside out)

inversion; upending (turning upside down; setting on end)

jerk; jerking; jolt; saccade (an abrupt spasmodic movement)

kick; kicking (a rhythmic thrusting movement of the legs as in swimming or calisthenics)

kneel; kneeling (supporting yourself on your knees)

lurch; pitch; pitching (abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance))

eye movement (the movement of the eyes)

opening (the act of opening something)

prostration (the act of assuming a prostrate position)

reach; reaching; stretch (the act of physically reaching or thrusting out)

reciprocation (alternating back-and-forth movement)

reclining (the act of assuming or maintaining a reclining position)

retraction (the act of pulling or holding or drawing a part back)

retroflection; retroflexion (the act of bending backward)

rotary motion; rotation (the act of rotating as if on an axis)

closing; shutting (the act of closing something)

sitting (the act of assuming or maintaining a seated position)

posing; sitting ((photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait))

snap (the act of snapping the fingers; movement of a finger from the tip to the base of the thumb on the same hand)

squat; squatting (the act of assuming or maintaining a crouching position with the knees bent and the buttocks near the heels)

sweep (a movement in an arc)

toss (an abrupt movement)

quiver; quivering; vibration (the act of vibrating)

wave (a movement like that of a sudden occurrence or increase in a specified phenomenon)

flicker; flutter; waver (the act of moving back and forth)

standing (the act of assuming or maintaining an erect upright position)

span; straddle (the act of sitting or standing astride)

stroke (a single complete movement)

squirm; wiggle; wriggle (the act of wiggling)

eurhythmics; eurhythmy; eurythmics; eurythmy (the interpretation in harmonious bodily movements of the rhythm of musical compositions; used to teach musical understanding)

Derivation:

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of changing location from one place to another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

motion; move; movement

Context example:

his move put him directly in my path

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

change (the action of changing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "movement"):

approach; approaching; coming (the act of drawing spatially closer to something)

advance; advancement; forward motion; onward motion; procession; progress; progression (the act of moving forward (as toward a goal))

locomotion; travel (self-propelled movement)

lunge; lurch (the act of moving forward suddenly)

travel; traveling; travelling (the act of going from one place to another)

chase; following; pursual; pursuit (the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture)

ascending; ascension; ascent; rise (the act of changing location in an upward direction)

descent (the act of changing your location in a downward direction)

swing; swinging; vacillation (changing location by moving back and forth)

return (the act of going back to a prior location)

coast; glide; slide (the act of moving smoothly along a surface while remaining in contact with it)

slippage (failing to hold or slipping out of place)

flow; stream (the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression)

crawl (a very slow movement)

hurrying; speed; speeding (changing location rapidly)

displacement; translation (the act of uniform movement)

shift; shifting (the act of moving from one place to another)

haste; hurry; rush; rushing (the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner)

maneuver; manoeuvre; play (a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill)

migration (the movement of persons from one country or locality to another)

Derivation:

move (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

move (change residence, affiliation, or place of employment)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

motion; movement

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "movement"):

crustal movement; tectonic movement (movement resulting from or causing deformation of the earth's crust)

approach; approaching (the event of one object coming closer to another)

passage; passing (the motion of one object relative to another)

deflection; deflexion (the movement of the pointer or pen of a measuring instrument from its zero position)

bend; bending (movement that causes the formation of a curve)

change of location; travel (a movement through space that changes the location of something)

undulation; wave ((physics) a movement up and down or back and forth)

jitter (a small irregular movement)

periodic motion; periodic movement (motion that recurs over and over and the period of time required for each recurrence remains the same)

heave ((geology) a horizontal dislocation)

backlash; rebound; recoil; repercussion (a movement back from an impact)

kick; recoil (the backward jerk of a gun when it is fired)

seek (the movement of a read/write head to a specific data track on a disk)

squeeze; wring (a twisting squeeze)

cam stroke; stroke; throw (the maximum movement available to a pivoted or reciprocating piece by a cam)

turn; turning (a movement in a new direction)

twist; wrench (a jerky pulling movement)

undulation (wavelike motion; a gentle rising and falling in the manner of waves)

moving ridge; wave (one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water))

wobble (an unsteady rocking motion)

commotion; whirl (confused movement)

Brownian motion; Brownian movement; pedesis (the random motion of small particles suspended in a gas or liquid)

Derivation:

move (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A group of people with a common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

front; movement; social movement

Context example:

he led the national liberation front

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

social group (people sharing some social relation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "movement"):

Fighting French; Free French (a French movement during World War II that was organized in London by Charles de Gaulle to fight for the liberation of France from German control and for the restoration of the republic)

art movement; artistic movement (a group of artists who agree on general principles)

Boy Scouts (an international (but decentralized) movement started in 1908 in England with the goal of teaching good citizenship to boys)

Civil Rights movement (movement in the United States beginning in the 1960s and led primarily by Blacks in an effort to establish the civil rights of individual Black citizens)

common front (a movement in which several individuals or groups with different interests join together)

cultural movement (a group of people working together to advance certain cultural goals)

ecumenism; oecumenism (a movement promoting union between religions (especially between Christian churches))

falun gong (a spiritual movement that began in China in the latter half of the 20th century and is based on Buddhist and Taoist teachings and practices)

political movement (a group of people working together to achieve a political goal)

reform movement (a movement intended to bring about social and humanitarian reforms)

religious movement (a movement intended to bring about religious reforms)

Zionism; Zionist movement (a movement of world Jewry that arose late in the 19th century with the aim of creating a Jewish state in Palestine)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A major self-contained part of a symphony or sonata

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

the second movement is slow and melodic

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

composition; musical composition; opus; piece; piece of music (a musical work that has been created)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "movement"):

intermezzo (a short movement coming between the major sections of a symphony)

scherzo (a fast movement (usually in triple time))

Holonyms ("movement" is a part of...):

sonata (a musical composition of 3 or 4 movements of contrasting forms)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

campaign; cause; crusade; drive; effort; movement

Context example:

contributed to the war effort

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

venture (any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "movement"):

ad blitz; ad campaign; advertising campaign (an organized program of advertisements)

anti-war movement (a campaign against entering or continuing a war)

charm campaign (a campaign of flattery and friendliness (by a company, politician, etc.) to become more popular and gain support)

consumerism (a movement advocating greater protection of the interests of consumers)

campaigning; candidacy; candidature; electioneering; political campaign (the campaign of a candidate to be elected)

fund-raising campaign; fund-raising drive; fund-raising effort (a campaign to raise money for some cause)

feminism; feminist movement; women's lib; women's liberation movement (the movement aimed at equal rights for women)

gay lib; gay liberation movement (the movement aimed at liberating homosexuals from legal or social or economic oppression)

lost cause (a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitable)

reform (a campaign aimed to correct abuses or malpractices)

war (a concerted campaign to end something that is injurious)

youth crusade; youth movement (political or religious or social reform movement or agitation consisting chiefly of young people)

Sense 7

Meaning:

An optical illusion of motion produced by viewing a rapid succession of still pictures of a moving object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

apparent motion; apparent movement; motion; movement

Context example:

the succession of flashing lights gave an illusion of movement

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

optical illusion (an optical phenomenon that results in a false or deceptive visual impression)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A euphemism for defecation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

bm; bowel movement; movement

Context example:

he had a bowel movement

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

defecation; laxation; shitting (the elimination of fecal waste through the anus)

Domain usage:

euphemism (an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A general tendency to change (as of opinion)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

drift; movement; trend

Context example:

a broad movement of the electorate to the right

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

disposition; inclination; tendency (an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "movement"):

evolutionary trend (a general direction of evolutionary change)

gravitation (a figurative movement toward some attraction)

Sense 10

Meaning:

The driving and regulating parts of a mechanism (as of a watch or clock)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

it was an expensive watch with a diamond movement

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

action; action mechanism (the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism)

Holonyms ("movement" is a part of...):

clock (a timepiece that shows the time of day)

ticker; watch (a small portable timepiece)

Sense 11

Meaning:

The act of changing the location of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

the movement of cargo onto the vessel

Hypernyms ("movement" is a kind of...):

change (the action of changing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "movement"):

deracination; displacement (to move something from its natural environment)

conveyance; transfer; transferral; transport; transportation (the act of moving something from one location to another)

insertion; introduction; intromission (the act of putting one thing into another)

letting down; lowering (the act of causing something to move to a lower level)

transplant; transplantation; transplanting (the act of removing something from one location and introducing it in another location)

troop movement (movement of military units to a new location)

Derivation:

move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

 Context examples 

Life is an offence to it, for life is movement; and the Wild aims always to destroy movement.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Then he stood, without movement, as before, the stricken wolf rolling in agony behind him.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

A flank movement produced an unconditional surrender, however, for Laurie knew where to have him.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

A disorder which limits movement of the eye following ocular surgery.

(Adherence Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

Well, after the murder I calculated that Beppo would probably hurry rather than delay his movements.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He made no movement whatever—simply stood there, staring at me.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A health practice that combines mental focus, controlled breathing, and body movements to help relax the body and mind.

(Mind-body modality, NCI Dictionary)

From where I lay I had a perfect view of the inside of the room and of every one of his movements.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He listened eagerly, with receptive ears, lying on his back and looking up and joying in each movement of her lips as she talked.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Tissue responsible for the body movements and the shape and size changes of interna organs.

(Muscle Tissue, NCI Thesaurus)