movement Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a change of position that does not entail a change of location
    motion; move; motility.
    • the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise
    • movement is a sign of life
    • an impatient move of his hand
    • gastrointestinal motility
  2. noun the act of changing location from one place to another
    motion; move.
    • police controlled the motion of the crowd
    • the movement of people from the farms to the cities
    • his move put him directly in my path
  3. noun a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something
    motion.
  4. noun a group of people with a common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals
    front; social movement.
    • he was a charter member of the movement
    • politicians have to respect a mass movement
    • he led the national liberation front
  5. noun a major self-contained part of a symphony or sonata
    • the second movement is slow and melodic
  6. noun a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end
    campaign; cause; drive; crusade; effort.
    • he supported populist campaigns
    • they worked in the cause of world peace
    • the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant
    • the movement to end slavery
    • contributed to the war effort
  7. noun an optical illusion of motion produced by viewing a rapid succession of still pictures of a moving object
    motion; apparent movement; apparent motion.
    • the cinema relies on apparent motion
    • the succession of flashing lights gave an illusion of movement
  8. noun a euphemism for defecation
    bm; bowel movement.
    • he had a bowel movement
  9. noun a general tendency to change (as of opinion)
    trend; drift.
    • not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book
    • a broad movement of the electorate to the right
  10. noun the driving and regulating parts of a mechanism (as of a watch or clock)
    • it was an expensive watch with a diamond movement
  11. noun the act of changing the location of something
    • the movement of cargo onto the vessel

WordNet

Move"ment noun
Etymology
F. mouvement. See Move, and cf. Moment.
Definitions
  1. The act of moving; change of place or posture; transference, by any means, from one situation to another; natural or appropriate motion; progress; advancement; as, the movement of an army in marching or maneuvering; the movement of a wheel or a machine; the party of movement.
  2. Motion of the mind or feelings; emotion.
  3. Manner or style of moving; as, a slow, or quick, or sudden, movement.
  4. (Mus.) (a) The rhythmical progression, pace, and tempo of a piece. "Any change of time is a change of movement." Busby. (b) One of the several strains or pieces, each complete in itself, with its own time and rhythm, which make up a larger work; as, the several movements of a suite or a symphony.
  5. (Mech.) A system of mechanism for transmitting motion of a definite character, or for transforming motion; as, the wheelwork of a watch. Syn. -- Motion. -- Movement, Motion. Motion expresses a general idea of not being at rest; movement is oftener used to express a definite, regulated motion, esp. a progress.

Webster 1913