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movie

noun
mov·​ie | \ ˈmĂŒ-vē How to pronounce movie (audio) \

Definition of movie

1 : a recording of moving images that tells a story and that people watch on a screen or television : motion picture watched a movie after dinner a movie about the Civil War an action movie
2 movies plural : a showing of a motion picture especially in a theater went to the movies last Friday also : a theater that shows movies What's playing at the movies?
3 movies plural : the business of making movies : the motion-picture medium or industry
Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about movie

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Examples of movie in a Sentence

He wants to work in the movies. a career in the movies

Recent Examples on the Web

 Three new movies opened in more than 900 locations. — Bloomberg News, al, "Weekend box office: ‘Angel Has Fallen’ back atop box office during slow weekend," 1 Sep. 2019 Eventually, officers got the suspect here, in this movie theater parking lot. — NBC News, "Meet the Press - September 1, 2019," 1 Sep. 2019 Neither movie explicitly pits its protagonist’s professional aspirations against her ability to find romance, but both gently nudge their characters away from the pitfalls of constant toiling. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Netflix Wants You to Ditch the Hustle and Find Love," 31 Aug. 2019 These anxious hints are a trademark of the movie’s director, Joseph Losey, who lived from 1909 to 1984. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "The Hour of Reckoning Descends in “Mr. Klein”," 30 Aug. 2019 Steven Soderbergh's latest film takes the familiar intrepid reporter movie—think Spotlight, or the (also Meryl Streep-starring) The Post—and shifts the frame. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "In The Laundromat, Meryl Streep Uncovers Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas's Dirty Dealings," 29 Aug. 2019 The study also found that four of Disney’s nine movie titles to be released in 2020 will be directed by women. — Brianna Holt, Quartz, "To make change in Hollywood, start with a hashtag," 29 Aug. 2019 Those cowboys in 1950s movies who taught men to be strong and silent? — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Being a “Real Man” Will Kill You," 29 Aug. 2019 This new documentary explores the rise and fall of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "What to Stream in September on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and More," 29 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'movie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of movie

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for movie

moving picture

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More Definitions for movie

movie

noun
How to pronounce movie (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of movie

chiefly US
: a recording of moving images that tells a story and that people watch on a screen or television
: a showing of a movie in a theater also : a movie theater
: the business of making movies : the film industry

See the full definition for movie in the English Language Learners Dictionary

movie

noun
mov·​ie | \ ˈmĂŒ-vē How to pronounce movie (audio) \

Kids Definition of movie

1 : a story represented in motion pictures an action movie
2 : a showing of a movie —often used in pl. We went to the movies last night.

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More from Merriam-Webster on movie

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with movie

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for movie

Spanish Central: Translation of movie

Nglish: Translation of movie for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of movie for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about movie

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