name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
motion
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
Received-Pronunciation: /ˈməʊ.ʃən/
-
General-American: /ˈmoʊ.ʃən/
-
General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
rhymes with -əʊʃən
-
CMU ARPABET: M OW1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A change whereby something goes from one place to another; a state of progression from one place to another; a change of position with respect to time.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: move, movement
Antonyms: rest, stasis
noun
Meaning 3
A parliamentary action to propose something. A similar procedure in any official or business meeting.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Examples
- The motion to amend is now open for discussion.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
An entertainment or show, especially a puppet show.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
from κίνησις (kinesis); any change. Traditionally of four types: generation and corruption, alteration, augmentation and diminution, and change of place.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
Movement of the mind, desires, or passions; mental act, or impulse to any action; internal activity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A formal request, oral or written, made to a judge or court of law to obtain an official court ruling or order for a legal action to be taken by, or on behalf of, the movant.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A movement of the bowels; the product of such movement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, euphemistic, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
Change of pitch in successive sounds, whether in the same part or in groups of parts. (Conjunct motion is that by single degrees of the scale. Contrary motion is when parts move in opposite directions. Disjunct motion is motion by skips. Oblique motion is when one part is stationary while another moves. Similar or direct motion is when parts move in the same direction.)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A puppet, or puppet show.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
A piece of moving mechanism, such as on a steam locomotive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: engineering, mechanical, mechanical-engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
Success; achievements, especially those that others cannot match.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
To gesture indicating a desired movement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He motioned for me to come closer.
- Mom motioned me over and ordered me to sit by her side.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 14
To introduce a motion in parliamentary procedure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: proscribed
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 15
To make a proposal; to offer plans.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 16
the act of changing location from one place to another
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- 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
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: movement, move
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: change
Narrower terms: approach, approaching, coming, progress, progression, procession, advance, advancement, forward motion, onward motion, locomotion, travel, lurch, lunge, traveling, travelling, pursuit, chase, pursual, following, rise, ascent, ascension, ascending, descent, swing, swinging, vacillation, return, slide, glide, coast, slippage, flow, stream, crawl, speed, speeding, hurrying, translation, displacement, shift, shifting, haste, hurry, rush, rushing, maneuver, manoeuvre, play, migration
noun
Meaning 17
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise
- movement is a sign of life
- an impatient move of his hand
- gastrointestinal motility
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: movement, move, motility
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: change
Narrower terms: abduction, adduction, agitation, body English, circumduction, disturbance, fetal movement, foetal movement, flit, dart, gesture, headshake, headshaking, inclination, inclining, inversion, eversion, everting, upending, jerk, jerking, jolt, saccade, kick, kicking, kneel, kneeling, lurch, pitch, pitching, eye movement, opening, prostration, reach, reaching, stretch, reciprocation, reclining, retraction, retroflection, retroflexion, rotation, rotary motion, shutting, closing, sitting, posing, snap, squat, squatting, sweep, toss, vibration, quiver, quivering, wave, waver, flutter, flicker, standing, straddle, span, stroke, wiggle, wriggle, squirm, eurythmy, eurhythmy, eurythmics, eurhythmics
noun
Meaning 18
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gesture
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: visual communication
Narrower terms: sign, gesticulation, beck, facial expression, facial gesture, flourish, high-five, previous question, shrug, wave, waving, wafture, V sign, nod, bow, bowing, obeisance, sign of the cross, curtsy, curtsey
noun
Meaning 19
a formal proposal for action made to a deliberative assembly for discussion and vote
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he made a motion to adjourn
- she called for the question
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: question
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: proposal
noun
Meaning 20
a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: movement
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: happening, occurrence, occurrent, natural event
Narrower terms: crustal movement, tectonic movement, approach, approaching, passing, passage, deflection, deflexion, bending, bend, change of location, travel, wave, undulation, jitter, periodic motion, periodic movement, heave, recoil, repercussion, rebound, backlash, kick, seek, squeeze, wring, throw, stroke, cam stroke, turning, turn, twist, wrench, moving ridge, wobble, whirl, commotion, Brownian movement, Brownian motion, pedesis
noun
Meaning 21
an optical illusion of motion produced by viewing a rapid succession of still pictures of a moving object
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the cinema relies on apparent motion
- the succession of flashing lights gave an illusion of movement
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: apparent motion, apparent movement, movement
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: optical illusion
noun
Meaning 22
a state of change
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- they were in a state of steady motion
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: motionlessness
Broader terms: state
Narrower terms: shaking, shakiness, trembling, quiver, quivering, vibration, palpitation, perpetual motion, precession, stream, flow
verb
Meaning 23
show, express or direct through movement
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He gestured his desire to leave
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gesticulate, gesture
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: communicate, intercommunicate
Narrower terms: wink, exsert, stretch out, put out, extend, hold out, stretch forth, shrug, clap, spat, applaud, acclaim, bless, sign, nod, cross oneself, bow, bow down, shake, beckon, wave
History
Etymology
Possibly a variant of Mowson.
Inherited from Middle English mocioun, mocion, from Anglo-Norman motion, Middle French motion, and their etymon Latin mōtiō (“movement, motion”), related to movēre, from Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh1- (“to move”).
Across languages
Translations
108 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Afrikaans: beweging — state of progression from one place to another
- Albanian: lëvizje — state of progression from one place to another
- Arabic: حَرَكَة (ḥaraka) — state of progression from one place to another
- Armenian: շարժում (šaržum) — state of progression from one place to another
- Bashkir: хәрәкәт (xərəkət) — state of progression from one place to another
- Belarusian: рух (rux) — state of progression from one place to another
- Bulgarian: движе́ние (dvižénie) — state of progression from one place to another
- Catalan: moviment — state of progression from one place to another
- Chinese Mandarin: 動作 /动作 (dòngzuò) — state of progression from one place to another
- Chinese Mandarin: 運動 /运动 (yùndòng) — state of progression from one place to another
- Czech: pohyb — state of progression from one place to another
- Danish: bevægelse — state of progression from one place to another
- Dutch: beweging — state of progression from one place to another
- Esperanto: moviĝo — state of progression from one place to another
- Esperanto: movado — state of progression from one place to another
- Estonian: liigutus — state of progression from one place to another
- Estonian: liikumine — state of progression from one place to another
- Finnish: liike — state of progression from one place to another
- French: mouvement — state of progression from one place to another
- German: Bewegung — state of progression from one place to another
- Greek: κίνηση (kínisi) — state of progression from one place to another
- Ancient Greek: κίνησις (kínēsis) — state of progression from one place to another
- Hebrew: תְּנוּעָה (t'nu'á) — state of progression from one place to another
- Hindi: गति (gati) — state of progression from one place to another
- Hungarian: mozgás — state of progression from one place to another
- Indonesian: gerakan — state of progression from one place to another
- Italian: movimento — state of progression from one place to another
- Japanese: 動き (ugoki) — state of progression from one place to another
- Japanese: 運動 (undō) — state of progression from one place to another
- Korean: 운동 (undong) — state of progression from one place to another
- Latin: mōtiō — state of progression from one place to another
- Latin: mōtus — state of progression from one place to another
- Latvian: kustība — state of progression from one place to another
- Macedonian: движење (dviženje) — state of progression from one place to another
- Mongolian: хөдөлгөөн (xödölgöön) — state of progression from one place to another
- Norwegian Bokmål: bevegelse — state of progression from one place to another
- Norwegian Nynorsk: bevegelse — state of progression from one place to another
- Norwegian Nynorsk: rørsle — state of progression from one place to another
- Old English: styring — state of progression from one place to another
- Persian: حرکت (harakat) — state of progression from one place to another
- Persian: روش (raveš) — state of progression from one place to another
- Plautdietsch: Bewäajunk — state of progression from one place to another
- Polish: ruch — state of progression from one place to another
- Portuguese: movimento — state of progression from one place to another
- Romanian: mișcare — state of progression from one place to another
- Russian: движе́ние (dvižénije) — state of progression from one place to another
- Scottish Gaelic: gluasad — state of progression from one place to another
- Serbo-Croatian: кре́та̄ње — state of progression from one place to another
- Serbo-Croatian: ги́ба̄ње — state of progression from one place to another
- Serbo-Croatian: krétānje — state of progression from one place to another
- Serbo-Croatian: gíbanje — state of progression from one place to another
- Slovak: pohyb — state of progression from one place to another
- Slovene: gibanje — state of progression from one place to another
- Spanish: movimiento — state of progression from one place to another
- Swedish: rörelse — state of progression from one place to another
- Tajik: ҳаракат (harakat) — state of progression from one place to another
- Tamil: இயக்கம் (iyakkam) — state of progression from one place to another
- Thai: การเคลื่อนที่ — state of progression from one place to another
- Turkish: hareket — state of progression from one place to another
- Turkish: devinim — state of progression from one place to another
- Ottoman Turkish: حركت (hareket) — state of progression from one place to another
- Ukrainian: рух (rux) — state of progression from one place to another
- Vietnamese: cử động — state of progression from one place to another
- Vietnamese: vận động — state of progression from one place to another
- Armenian: շարժում (šaržum) — change of place or position
- Bashkir: хәрәкәт (xərəkət) — change of place or position
- Bulgarian: ход (hod) — change of place or position
- Finnish: liike — change of place or position
- French: mouvement — change of place or position
- Haitian Creole: mouvman — change of place or position
- Hindi: चलना (calnā) — change of place or position
- Irish: gluaisne — change of place or position
- Latvian: pārvietošanās — change of place or position
- Latvian: kustība — change of place or position
- Persian: جابجایی (jâbejâyi) — change of place or position
- Portuguese: movimento — change of place or position
- Portuguese: deslocamento — change of place or position
- Romanian: mișcare — change of place or position
- Scottish Gaelic: gluasad — change of place or position
- Bashkir: тәҡдим (təqdim) — parliamentary proposal
- Catalan: moció — parliamentary proposal
- Chinese Mandarin: 動議 /动议 (dòngyì) — parliamentary proposal
- Chinese Mandarin: 提案 (tí'àn) — parliamentary proposal
- Dutch: motie — parliamentary proposal
- Esperanto: mocio — parliamentary proposal
- Finnish: aloite — parliamentary proposal
- French: motion — parliamentary proposal
- German: Antrag — parliamentary proposal
- Greek: πρόταση (prótasi) — parliamentary proposal
- Hindi: प्रस्ताव (prastāv) — parliamentary proposal
- Hungarian: indítvány — parliamentary proposal
- Hungarian: javaslat — parliamentary proposal
- Indonesian: mosi — parliamentary proposal
- Italian: mozione — parliamentary proposal
- Italian: mozioni — parliamentary proposal
- Japanese: 動議 (dōgi) — parliamentary proposal
- Japanese: 提案 (teian) — parliamentary proposal
- Latin: mōtiō — parliamentary proposal
- Māori: mōtini — parliamentary proposal
- Norman: motion — parliamentary proposal
- Portuguese: moção — parliamentary proposal
- Russian: предложе́ние (predložénije) — parliamentary proposal
- Scottish Gaelic: iarrtas — parliamentary proposal
- Spanish: moción — parliamentary proposal
- Swedish: motion — parliamentary proposal
- Tagalog: mungkahi — parliamentary proposal
- Tagalog: mosyon — parliamentary proposal
- Esperanto: signi — gesture indicating a desired movement
Real reading context