motion
noun
the action or process of moving or of changing place or position; movement.
motion
American
[moh-shuhn]
/ ˈmoʊ ʃən /
noun
-
motions
plural
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the action or process of moving or of changing place or position; movement.
-
power of movement, as of a living body.
-
the manner of moving the body in walking; gait.
-
a bodily movement or change of posture; gesture.
-
a proposal formally made to a deliberative assembly.
to make a motion to adjourn.
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Law. an application made to a court or judge for an order, ruling, or the like.
-
a suggestion or proposal.
-
an inward prompting or impulse; inclination.
He will go only of his own motion.
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Music. melodic progression, as the change of a voice part from one pitch to another.
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Machinery.
-
a piece of mechanism with a particular action or function.
-
the action of such a mechanism.
-
verb (used with object)
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motions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
motioned,
past participle, past
-
motioning
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
motions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
motioned,
past participle, past
-
motioning
present participle
idioms
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go through the motions, to do something halfheartedly, routinely, or as a formality or façade.
-
in motion, in active operation; moving.
The train was already in motion when he tried to board it.
motion
1
British
/ ˈməʊʃən /
noun
-
the process of continual change in the physical position of an object; movement
linear motion
-
a movement or action, esp of part of the human body; a gesture
-
-
the capacity for movement
-
a manner of movement, esp walking; gait
-
-
a mental impulse
-
a formal proposal to be discussed and voted on in a debate, meeting, etc
-
law an application made to a judge or court for an order or ruling necessary to the conduct of legal proceedings
-
-
the evacuation of the bowels
-
excrement
-
-
-
part of a moving mechanism
-
the action of such a part
-
-
music the upward or downward course followed by a part or melody. Parts whose progressions are in the same direction exhibit similar motion , while two parts whose progressions are in opposite directions exhibit contrary motion See also parallel
-
-
to act or perform the task (of doing something) mechanically or without sincerity
-
to mimic the action (of something) by gesture
-
-
operational or functioning (often in the phrases set in motion, set the wheels in motion )
verb
Motion
2
British
/ ˈməʊʃən /
noun
motion
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
Motion, move, movement refer to change of position in space. Motion denotes change of position, either considered apart from, or as a characteristic of, something that moves; usually the former, in which case it is often a somewhat technical or scientific term: perpetual motion. The chief uses of move are founded upon the idea of moving a piece, in chess or a similar game, for winning the game, and hence the word denotes any change of position, condition, or circumstances for the accomplishment of some end: a shrewd move to win votes. Movement is always connected with the person or thing moving, and is usually a definite or particular motion: the movements of a dance.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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intermotionnoun
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motionernoun
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nonmotionnoun
-
self-motionnoun
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undermotionnoun
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motionaladjective
-
unmotionedadjective
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unmotioningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
motionsimple
-
motionssimple
-
have motionedperfect
-
has motionedperfect
-
am motioningprogressive
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are motioningprogressive
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is motioningprogressive
-
have been motioningperfect progressive
-
has been motioningperfect progressive
Past
-
motionedsimple
-
had motionedperfect
-
was motioningprogressive
-
were motioningprogressive
-
had been motioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of motion
First recorded before 1350–1400; Middle English mocio(u)n, from Latin mōtiōn- (stem of mōtiō ), equivalent to mōt(us) (past participle of movēre move ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Motion is the way things get from place to place. The ball rolling down a hill is in motion, and as Isaac Newton once proved, it will remain in motion until it hits a wall or something else that makes it stop. When motion is used as a noun, it describes movement, like the motion that propels a car from one end of the highway to another. When used as a verb, motion means to signal or direct. "A restaurant patron will motion to the server when he's ready for the check." Someone who is just "going through the motions" doesn't have to move at all, because they're just pretending.
Vocabulary lists containing motion
Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Introductory
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Force and Motion (Mechanics) - Middle School
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Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Reddington said he intended to file another motion, which essentially requests for the mistrial to be reconsidered.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
He went down the only avenue that was available to him after he made his motion to appeal to the judge, and that motion was denied.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Attorneys for both sides entered a joint motion Thursday requesting that the judge “set this matter for a guilty plea and sentencing hearing,” according to WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, which has viewed the filing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Jibril’s death came too late to stop the chain of events he helped set in motion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Boaz thought her gaze fixed, but she glanced his way for a brief moment, before he noticed the flicking motion she was making with her thumb.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Clark had worked with Murati at Leap Motion, a company that made a virtual-reality hand-tracking device.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Eventually, she got me to go to a dance class, and we’re still dancing, one step at a time, at the wonderful local Flow Motion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
A representative for Motion Picture Association-Canada, which represents U.S. streaming companies, didn’t respond to a request for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Motion sensors attached to security alarms occasionally mistake sudden shifts in temperature within a room as movement, triggering the alarms, say security firms.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
There was a great Motion in the Camp & we all fell out & our Company was placed beside a line of Wagons.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
A lawyer herself, Harris notes that because the country already has 13 intermediate courts of appeal, a 13-member Supreme Court would allow each justice to review motions from a lower court one-to-one.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
The authors report that it didn’t work: “Checklists and templates are tempting, but they often result in employees ‘turning off their brains,’ going through the motions instead of thoughtful application.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Built and operated by the NSO in Hawaii, the telescope provided images detailed enough to expose plasma motions that had never previously been visible.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
NSO astronomer Dr David Kuridze, told BBC News: "These twisting motions are creating magnetic energy, which can build up to produce those large-scale explosions."
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
He motions toward the entrance ramp we just walked in on.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
She motioned to the Egyptian busts and said: "These heads, they talk to me."
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
During the second set, he motioned to Copi to come sit on the edge of the stage and listen to the band.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
During a dinner in September with heads of major technology companies, Trump took questions from the press and motioned with his hand for a reporter to speak up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
When Valerie demanded to know where the person they detained lived, she said, an agent vaguely motioned at a nearby apartment building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Brightbill motioned to the goose at his side.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Izzo could be seen from the sideline apparently motioning for Davis to leave and saying, “Get out of here.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
After seeing three tries ruled out by the television match official, Freeman and Henry Pollock both celebrated undeniable scores by motioning for a video review.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
"Ok," said Trump as Rubio went back to his seat, motioning for reporters to be quiet as they shouted questions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025
"This should all be underwater," he says, motioning towards the parched expanse of exposed white rocks.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2025
“Sit here,” I said to him, motioning next to me.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
