movie

noun

mov·​ie ˈmü-vē 

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

• film
• flick
• flicker
• motion picture
• moving picture
• picture

Examples of movie in a Sentence

He wants to work in the movies.

a career in the movies

Recent Examples on the Web

This is a movie that exists in its own strange world. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2024

But because this is a horror movie, there are, of course, more immediate existential threats lurking behind doors one and two. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2024

But even for him, the prospect of holding the AFM, the world’s biggest independent movie bazaar, in Las Vegas on the day of the 2024 U.S. Presidential election seems a bit much. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024

Seeing a movie at a theatre is another way to stay away from your phone and hopefully become engaged in something that isn’t the election. —Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

moving picture

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing movie

• B movie
• home movie
• movie house

Kids Definition

movie

noun

mov·​ie ˈmü-vē 

1

: motion picture sense 1

2

a

: a story represented in motion pictures

b

pl : a showing of a movie

went to the movies yesterday

3

plural : the business of making movies : the motion-picture industry