Phrase guide

rapid eye movement

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Fast movement of the eyes, characterising REM sleep

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

2

noun

Meaning 2

a recurring sleep state during which dreaming occurs; a state of rapidly shifting eye movements during sleep

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: paradoxical sleep, rapid eye movement sleep, REM sleep, REM

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sleep, slumber

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 快速眼動 /快速眼动 (kuàisù yǎndòng) — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Finnish: nopea silmänliike — rapid movement of the eyes
  • French: mouvement oculaire rapide — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Georgian: თვალების სწრაფი მოძრაობა (tvalebis sc̣rapi moʒraoba) — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Georgian: თვალის სწრაფი მოძრაობა (tvalis sc̣rapi moʒraoba) — rapid movement of the eyes
  • German: schnelles Augenrollen — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Icelandic: svefnblik — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Icelandic: augnblik — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Polish: REM — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Russian: быстрые движения глаз (bystryje dviženija glaz) — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Russian: БДГ (BDG) — rapid movement of the eyes
  • Turkish: hızlı göz hareketi — rapid movement of the eyes