Motion Meaning
/ˈməʊ.ʃən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA change whereby something goes from one place to another; a state of progression from one place to another; a change of position with respect to time.
nounA parliamentary action to propose something. A similar procedure in any official or business meeting.
Sentence Examples
And I call on the chairman of the Education Committee to support the motion.
The discussion produced a great deal of noise, but no forward motion.
What was Newton's first law of motion?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The pendulum was in constant ____ as it swung back and forth.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The slow ____ of the waves as they came in and out was very relaxing for everyone sitting on the quiet beach.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"This is the great wheel to which the clock owes its motion."
— 1667, attributed to Richard Allestree, The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety. […], London: […] R. Norton for T. Garthwait, […], →OCLC:
"Secondly, When a body is once in motion it will continue to move forever, unless something stops it. When a ball is struck on the surface of the earth, the friction of the earth and the resistance of the air soon stop its motion."
— 1839, Denison Olmsted, A Compendium of Astronomy, page 95:
"Several parties of hop-pickers joined the train at the intermediate stations, and the guard performed the acrobatic feat of walking along the footboards of the coaches to examine tickets, while the train was in motion."
— 1947 May and June, “Notes and News: The Kent & East Sussex Railway Today”, in Railway Magazine, page 182:
"Yes, I agree, and thank you for your motion."
— c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
"when God gave him reason, he gave him freedom to choose, for reason is but choosing; he had bin else a meer artificiall Adam, such an Adam as he is in the motions."
— 1644, John Milton, Areopagitica:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The pendulum was in constant ____ as it swung back and forth.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The slow ____ of the waves as they came in and out was very relaxing for everyone sitting on the quiet beach.