English Reference
Idiom idiom

poetry in motion


Fluid, graceful movement.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

The dancer is poetry in motion.

CONTEXTUAL

Watching the professional athlete run across the field was truly poetry in motion.

COMPLEX

The swan glided across the lake with such elegance that its movement was pure poetry in motion.


The term appears in the 19th century, entering the lexicon as a literal description of movement that possessed the qualities of verse. No specific individual or event is credited with its coinage.


Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    Brownian motion

    A state of chaos or disarray.

  2. 02

    go through the motions

    To do something in a mechanical, unreflective manner, especially as a matter of routine and without commitment or enthusiasm; to perform a task perfunctorily.

  3. 03

    motion of someone's ocean

    The way someone moves during sex.

  4. 04

    set in motion

    To trigger movement or progress; to get going.

  5. 05

    set the wheels in motion

    to initiate a chain of events necessary to help one achieve a goal (more quickly)

Last updated August 10, 2026