movable

1 of 2

adjective

mov·​able ˈmü-və-bəl 

variants or moveable

1

: capable of being moved

2

: changing date from year to year

movable holidays

movability

ˌmü-və-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

movableness

ˈmü-və-bəl-nəs 

noun

movably

ˈmü-və-blē 

adverb

movable

2 of 2

noun

variants or moveable

: something (such as an article of furniture) that can be removed or displaced

Synonyms

Adjective

• mobile
• portable

Noun

• appointments
• cabinetwork
• furnishings
• furniture

Examples of movable in a Sentence

Adjective

Thanksgiving is a movable holiday.

any furniture that is not movable will be covered with protective cloths by the painters

Noun

when painting a room, you should first cover or remove all of the movables

packed our movables into the van and headed off to our new home

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Harris introduced an Opportunity Agenda for Black Men, outlining what her administration would do to support that voting constituency that seemed movable. —Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024

According to the museum’s leadership, each element—from the handrails to the monumental (but movable) steel doors and terrazzo floors—was contributed by Polish craftspeople. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 1 Nov. 2024

Noun

For those who want to boss around inanimate objects verbally, a voice command would also get the movables moving. —Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023

Islands, some movable, are light gray or dark wood. —Benjamin C Tankersley, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing movable

• movable feast

Kids Definition

movable

1 of 2 adjective

mov·​able

variants or moveable

ˈmü-və-bəl 

1

: capable of being moved : not fixed

2

: changing date from year to year

Thanksgiving is a movable holiday

movably

-blē 

adverb

movable

2 of 2 noun

variants or moveable

: a piece of property (as an article of furniture) that can be moved

Legal Definition

movable

1 of 2 adjective

mov·​able

variants or moveable

ˈmü-və-bəl 

: capable of being moved

movable

2 of 2 noun

variants or moveable

: an item of movable property

also : a right or interest (as a chattel mortgage) in an item of movable property

bonds and annuities are incorporeal movables

—often used in pl. compare immovable