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

Read more: The Human Cost of Binge-Watching True Crime Series Shackleton also steps back to reveal how his movie might have adhered to the tropes of the true crime genre. —Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025

The couple recently caught up with PEOPLE at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, ahead of the premiere of their movie Together. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025

Where to watch:Netflix 'The Toxic Avenger' (2025) The 1984 cult movie gets a revamp courtesy of this gory superhero comedy, with Peter Dinklage as a janitor transformed into a mutant vigilante doling out social justice. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2025

Moore, Zoe Saldaña, Angelina Jolie, and Pamela Anderson come to mind, each off whom have been heaped with praise and nominations for their roles in movies this year. —Blanca De Almandoz, Glamour, 27 Jan. 2025

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