Word
motion
Phoneticsmo·tion
US/ˈmoʊʃən/
UK/mˈəʊʃən/
Definitions
01physical movement
n. the act or process of moving from one place to another.
n. the action or process of moving or being moved; physical displacement over time.
“The rocking motion of the boat made several passengers feel a bit sick.”
“The laws of physics describe how forces act upon an object to change its state of motion or rest.”
02formal proposal
n. a formal suggestion that a group should vote on in a meeting.
n. a formal proposal put to a legislature or meeting for debate and a subsequent vote.
“The committee passed a motion to increase the budget for the new library.”
“After a heated debate, the board rejected the motion to dissolve the subcommittee, citing a lack of alternative oversight.”
Formal
Synonyms
03legal request
n. a formal request made to a judge to make a decision or take an action.
n. a formal application made to a court or judge for an order or a ruling.
“The lawyer filed a motion to dismiss the case due to a lack of evidence.”
“The defence attorney submitted a motion for a change of venue, arguing that local media coverage had prejudiced the potential jury pool.”
Formal · Technical
Synonyms
04success and status
n. having success, money, or influence that others admire.
n. a state of having significant momentum, success, or social influence, often associated with wealth.
“He started his own business and now he's really got motion in this city.”
“The young entrepreneur's rapid rise in the tech world gave him the kind of motion that attracted major investors overnight.”
Slang
05digestion
n. the act of passing waste from the body.
n. an evacuation of the bowels; the act of defecating.
“The doctor asked the patient if they had experienced a regular bowel motion.”
“Post-operative care instructions included monitoring the patient for their first bowel motion to ensure the digestive system had resumed normal function.”
Formal · Technical
Synonyms
06to gesture
v. to make a movement with your hand or head to tell someone what to do.
v. to direct or command someone by making a gesture.
“The waiter motioned for us to follow him to a table near the window.”
“The usher motioned the latecomers toward the side aisle, whispering that they should wait for the intermission before finding their assigned seats.”
Usage
often followed by a preposition like 'to' or 'towards'
Real-World Examples
“C re-enacted the motion in court, shaking his head and saying “no, no, no, no” repeatedly.” “This upward motion creates a powerful current of air known as an updraft .” Etymology
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Related words
Idioms
Brownian motion — A state of chaos or disarray.
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.
motion of someone's ocean — The way someone moves during sex.
poetry in motion — Fluid, graceful movement.
set in motion — To trigger movement or progress; to get going.
set the wheels in motion — to initiate a chain of events necessary to help one achieve a goal (more quickly)
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/motion