movement noun

1 act of moving

ADJ. big | little, slight, small, tiny The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. | quick, rapid, swift | gentle, slow | easy, graceful, smooth She mounted the horse in one easy movement. | easy The refrigerator unit has rubber wheels for easy movement. | jerky | sudden | deft | controlled | free the free movement of goods in Europe | involuntary | random | constant, continuous | repetitive | rhythmic | backward, downward, forward, lateral, sideways, upward | body | eye, hand, etc. | dance | currency, price the volatility of currency movements in the foreign exchange markets | troop | pincer The army surrounded the town in a pincer movement.

VERB + MOVEMENT make, produce He made a slight movement with his right hand. Hydraulic jacks under the machine produce the movement. | allow clothing that allows easy movement | control, direct As infants grow they become better able to direct their own movements. | facilitate an initiative to facilitate the movement of labour in the EU | restrict | prevent The striking farmers threatened to prevent the movement of goods across the country. | sense She sensed a movement in the dark beneath the stairs. | monitor They are monitoring the movement of animals in and out of the country. | follow, watch ~s The police are following the suspect's movements very closely. | trace ~s The police have traced her movements to the time of her death.

MOVEMENT + VERB occur Some movement in the building will occur as it settles into the subsoil. | catch your eye A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth.

PREP. in a ~ She kicked down the door in one swift movement. | ~ away from, ~ from, ~ to movement from one level to the next | ~ towards (figurative) Recently there's been a movement (= a change in attitude) away from tinned food towards fresh food.

PHRASES the direction/rate/speed of movement, freedom of movement The government's decree allowed freedom of movement for all citizens. | the movement of capital/goods/labour, a sense of movement (figurative) His music has a real sense of movement.

2 group of people

ADJ. radical | mass, popular | organized The country has a well organized labour movement. | international, national | artistic, literary | avant-garde | Modern, Romantic, etc. Both architects were part of the Modern Movement. | political | protest | anti-nuclear, anti-war, etc. | peace | reform | civil/human rights | independence, liberation, opposition, resistance, revolutionary, separatist | democracy/pro-democracy, democratic, fascist, nationalist | labour, trade union | feminist, gay | consumer, student, women's, working-class, youth, etc. | ecumenical | scout | suffragette

VERB + MOVEMENT create, establish, launch, set up, start (up) She started a movement for agricultural reform. | join, support | be involved in, be part of | lead | direct a protest movement directed against exploitative trade practices | suppress | ban, outlaw

MOVEMENT + VERB begin, emerge (out of sth) The movement emerged out of concern for human rights abuses. | develop, gain/gather strength The movement gained strength during the 1970s. | reach a peak The student movement reached its peak in 1968. | lose strength

PREP. ~ against a mass movement against the dictatorship | ~ for He launched a movement for children's rights.

PHRASES | a leader/member of a movement, the rise of a movement the rise of the labour movement in France

3 part of a long piece of music

ADJ. first, opening | second, etc. | final, last the last movement of Brahms's Fourth Symphony | slow | fast

VERB + MOVEMENT perform, play

PREP. in (the) … ~ a symphony in four movements There is a cello solo in the second movement.

You can also check other dicts: movement (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition

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