move

The act of moving; a movement.

Noun

  1. The act of moving; a movement.
    • A slight move of the tiller, and the boat will go off course.
    • The drummer Cynthia praised her best friends' dance moves to the music.
    • Lord John had followed me. "By George, young fellah!" said he, pulling off his coat. "You've hit on a dooced good notion. Give me a grip and we'll soon have a move on it." But, even then, so heavy was the bell that it...
  2. An act for the attainment of an object; a step in the execution of a plan or purpose.
    • He made another move towards becoming a naturalized citizen.
  3. A formalized or practiced action used in athletics, dance, physical exercise, self-defense, hand-to-hand combat, etc.
    • She always gets spontaneous applause for that one move.
    • He can win a match with that one move.
  4. The event of changing one's residence.
    • The move into my fiancé's house took two long days.
    • They were pleased about their move to the country.
    • While planning a recent move, I checked the pages of Majority Report, which lists women-owned and operated businesses and found a listing for "Truck You." […] Two women from Queens, and formerly of New Jersey GAA, Ulla...

    Synonyms: removal relocation

  5. A change in strategy.
    • I am worried about our boss's move.
    • It was a smart move to bring on a tall striker to play against the smaller defenders.
  6. A transfer, a change from one employer to another.
    • Robin van Persie squandered United's best chance late on but otherwise it was a relatively comfortable afternoon for Liverpool's new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has yet to concede a Premier League goal since his £9m...
  7. The act of moving a token on a gameboard from one position to another according to the rules of the game.
    • The best move of the game was when he sacrificed his rook in order to gain better possession.
    • It's your move! Roll the dice!
    • If you roll a six, you can make two moves.

    Synonyms: play

  8. A round, in which each player has a turn.
    • You can win in three moves if you do that.
  9. Within the Minimalist Program, a fundamental operation of syntactic construction

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁-der. Proto-Italic *moweō Latin movēre Old Northern French moverbor. Middle English moven English move From Middle English moven, moeven, meven, borrowed from Old Northern French mover, moveir and Old French mouver, moveir (“to move”) (compare modern French mouvoir from Old French movoir), from Latin movēre (“move; change, exchange, go in or out, quit”), from Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh₁- (“to move, drive”). Cognate with Lithuanian mauti (“to push on, rush”), Sanskrit मीवति (mī́vati, “pushes, presses, moves”), Middle Dutch mouwe (“sleeve”). Largely displaced native English stir, from Middle English stiren, sturien, from Old English styrian. See also Old English hrēran.

Forms

moves meve mieve mooue moove

Hyponyms

book move camera move career-limiting move clock move countermove dance move dick move engine move false move finishing move forcing move in-between move Kirby move only move opening move Pachner move postmove power move premove quiet move Reidemeister move special move transmove waiting move

Derived

bust a move down to every move on the board fifty-move rule get a move on make a move make the first move moveless movelessly movelessness moveset multimove must-move on the move outmove put the moves on

Verb

  1. To change place or posture; to go, in any manner, from one place or position to another.
    • A ship moves rapidly.
    • I was sitting on the sofa for a long time, feeling too lazy to move.
    • God moves in a myſterious way, / His wonders to perform; / He plants his footſteps in the ſea, / And rides upon the ſtorm. - 1780, William Cowper, “Light Shining out of Darkneſs”, in Twenty-ſix Letters on Religious...

    Synonyms: shift stir adjust disrupt disturb move place position put relocate reposition set station transfer transpose

  2. To act; to take action; to begin to act
    • to move in a matter
    • Come on guys, let's move: there's work to do!

    Synonyms: get moving stir take action

  3. To change residence, for example from one house, town, or state, to another; to go and live at another place; similarly to change the location of another establishment such as a business. See also move out and move in.
    • I decided to move to the country for a more peaceful life.
    • They moved closer to work to cut down commuting time.
    • I'm moving next week but I don't have anything packed yet.

    Synonyms: flit move house remove shift

  4. To transport (an item) as part of changing residences.
    • Before my lease ended, I gave away my old sofa because I didn't want to move it.
  5. To cause to change place or posture in any manner; to set in motion; to carry, convey, draw, or push from one place to another
    • The waves moved the boat up and down.
    • The horse moves a carriage.

    Synonyms: drive impel propel stir

  6. To transfer (a piece) from one space or position on the board to another.
    • She moved the queen closer to the centre of the board.
    • He rolled a 5 and moved his counter to Boardwalk, the most expensive property on the Monopoly board.
  7. To excite to action by the presentation of motives; to rouse by representation, persuasion, or appeal; to influence.
    • This song moves me to dance.
    • Seducer of the People, not moved with the Piety of his Life - 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
    • No female arts his mind could move. - 1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

    Synonyms: entice induce inveigle persuade sway

  8. To arouse the feelings or passions of; especially, to excite to tenderness or compassion, to excite (for example, an emotion).
    • That book really moved me.
    • When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 9:36:

    Synonyms: affect excite touch trouble

  9. To propose; to recommend; specifically, to propose formally for consideration and determination, in a deliberative assembly; to submit
    • I move to repeal the rule regarding obligatory school uniform.
    • Two days were thus wasted in the quarrel between the consuls. It was clear that while Faminius was present no decision could be arrived at. Owing to Flaminius' absence through illness, Aemilius seized the opportunity to...
    • Let me but move one question to your daughter. - 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...
  10. To mention; to raise (a question); to suggest (a course of action); to lodge (a complaint).

    Synonyms: bring up mention move reference toss up touch touch on

  11. To incite, urge (someone to do something); to solicit (someone for or of an issue); to make a proposal to.
    • "Sir," seyde Sir Boys, "ye nede nat to meve me of such maters, for well ye wote I woll do what I may to please you." - 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VII:
    • The thirſt of raigne and ſweetnes of a crowne, […] Moou’d me to menage armes againſt thy ſtate. - c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1,...

    Synonyms: motivate provoke abet actuate goose light a fire under send sting bring about cheer draw drive encourage egg on engender evoke excite foment goad grill ignite impel incite induce

  12. To apply to, as for aid.
    • To me she speaks; she moves me for her them - c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...

Forms

moves moving moved no-table-tags glossary move movest movedst moveth - meve mieve mooue moove

Synonyms

budge interchange move rearrange redistribute relocate shift stir transfer travel

Hyponyms

burrow climb creep crawl drive hop jump fly ride roll run sail slide slither swim teleport walk move quickly move slowly

Derived

angels moving the furniture anything that moves café de move-on CHAdeMO comove earth-moving ever-moving faith can move mountains faith will move mountains fast-moving foremove get moving inmove keep it moving match moving mismove movability movable movableness movably movant move about move ahead move along