MOTIONS Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

motions 1 of 2

noun

plural of motion

as in movements

the act or an instance of changing position we were instructed not to make any sudden motions or we might scare away the deer

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motions

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of motion

as in waves

to direct or notify by a movement or gesture the referee motioned the team captains to confer with him on the sideline

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of motions

Noun

So, there’s all kinds of sets of matrices that describe motions and symmetries for the real world. — Quanta Magazine, 25 June 2026 Wipe in circular motions with a lint-free microfiber cloth to loosen grime, then finish with long, horizontal swipes. — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 2 July 2026 Once work was broken into repeatable motions, the factory gained something more powerful than the spindle. — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Now that the case — revived by a conviction reversal earlier this year — has been assigned to a courtroom, the judge will hear evidentiary and other pretrial motions that will set the parameters for trial. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 29 June 2026 During Thursday's court proceedings, McCabe also denied motions by the parents' attorneys seeking a reasonable bond. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 July 2026 Defense challenges prosecution's evidence The attorneys representing Nichols have also filed preliminary motions in an effort to suppress some of her statements made to law enforcement. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 1 July 2026 Murdaugh’s attorneys filed several pretrial motions last week, including requests for a change of venue, for further independent testing of DNA evidence and for Murdaugh to get access to a computer behind bars. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 Disgruntled shareholders rejected the reappointment of one independent board director, and proposed several motions to remove Espinosa as chair of the meeting; one particularly daring investor even proposed bringing Ghosn back as CEO. — Andrew Staples, Fortune, 3 July 2026

Verb

Luz, the group’s search leader and spokesperson for the day, immediately motions with her hand for the group to drive forward. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for motions

Noun

The difficulties facing two of Europe’s leading far right figures underscored right-wing movements’ failure to coalesce behind their sizable polling advantages.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 7 July 2026
Ahead of the football World Cup, Boston Dynamics released a video showing Atlas studying football footage before accurately recreating player movements, including controlling and passing a ball during a practice session.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026

Definition of movements

Noun

Atlas performed a series of soccer moves developed using a combination of motion retargeting, reinforcement learning and whole-body control.

— Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Such moves are especially worrisome for Capital Economics, which pointed out that similar selloffs have previously only happened during bear markets like during the Asian financial crisis, the dot-com bubble, and the Great Financial Crisis.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 July 2026

Definition of moves

Noun

But all the shifts in time and point of view — and the lingering over details, both telling and not — have a downside.

— Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The strongest drivers behind these strategic shifts were ESG requirements, the deployment of new technologies like AI that enables operational evolution and a desire for agility and resilience.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 7 July 2026

Definition of shifts

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“Motions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motions. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of motions

noun

verb

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