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motion

Pronunciation: /ˈməʊʃ(ə)n/
Translate motion | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of motion

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] the action or process of moving or being moved:the laws of planetary motion a cushioned shoe that doesn’t restrict motion flowing blonde hair that was constantly in motion
  • [count noun] a gesture:she made a motion with her free hand
  • [count noun] a piece of moving mechanism:the earliest engines had the Gresley conjugated motion for the middle cylinder
  • 2a formal proposal put to a legislature or committee:opposition parties tabled a no-confidence motion
  • Law an application for a rule or order of court: often the defendant contributes to the length of proceedings by filing many procedural motions
  • 3British an evacuation of the bowels: 73% of the patients had fewer than three bowel motions a day her mother put on her nappy for her to pass a motion

verb

[with object and adverbial of direction]
  • direct or command (someone) with a movement of the hand or head:he motions her towards the lift [with object and infinitive]:he motioned the young officer to sit down

Phrases

go through the motions

  • 1do something perfunctorily, without any enthusiasm or commitment: no drive, no ambition; the team was just turning up to go through the motions
  • 2simulate an action:a child goes through the motions of washing up

set in motion

start something moving or working: the mobile of five clouds is set in motion by a little fan
start or trigger a process or series of events:plunging oil prices set in motion an economic collapse

Derivatives

motional

adjective

Origin:

late Middle English: via Old French from Latin motio(n-), from movere 'to move'

motion in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of motion in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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