How to Use motion in a Sentence

motion

1 of 2 noun
  • She made a motion calling for the repeal of the law.
  • He caught the ball and flipped it back to me in one fluid motion.
  • The judge denied a motion to delay the hearing.
  • His lawyer filed a motion for a mistrial.
  • She has a simple golf swing with no wasted motion.
  • He made hand motions to get our attention.
  • Her motion was voted on.
  • The wax should be applied using a circular motion.
  • After Nicole Thomas asked, and the Zoo agreed, the plan was in motion.
    Claire Rafford, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Oct. 2022
  • The judge is expected to rule on the motion in the next few days.
    Steve Helling, PEOPLE.com, 22 June 2022
  • Buttons on the base control the motion, speed and sound.
    Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 16 Aug. 2022
  • These smart faucets use motion sensors to turn the water on and off.
    Bridget Degnan, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Oct. 2022
  • Teammate Sophia Swanson caught the ball in stride and sank a layup, all in one motion.
    Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2023
  • With his drone flying right above, Gauna filmed the whole event in slow-motion.
    Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2022
  • True to the title of the series, Sylvester's GO videos are fast-paced and constantly in motion.
    Jason Hahn, Peoplemag, 11 Oct. 2022
  • Both witnesses told police the wig was red, the motion states.
    Stephanie Pagones, Fox News, 3 Nov. 2022
  • Footage is captured in HDR and both motion and sound trigger the sensor.
    Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 18 Nov. 2022
  • However, there were still trace amounts of motion blur, thanks to the car and its wheels moving at such high speed.
    Matt Crisara, Popular Mechanics, 18 Nov. 2022
  • Not only that, but the MCU has also set in motion a turn of events that further strengthens the Endgame plot.
    Chris Smith, BGR, 9 Aug. 2022
  • These pages contain great drama and constant motion; Schiff lets the stakes build, and build, until the dam is ready to burst.
    Chris Vognar, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2022
  • The Broward County Gator Club plans to go in motion, rotating their game-watch venues through the season.
    Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2022
  • Working on one nail at a time, use a careful twisting-and-squeezing motion to pull off the foil.
    Katie Intner, Harper's BAZAAR, 2 Dec. 2022
  • And babies are soothed by the gentle rocking, which is powered by the child's motion and not a motor.
    Marisa Lascala and Lori Bergamotto, Good Housekeeping, 12 Jan. 2023
  • According to the state’s motion, Williams gave deputies the Percocet.
    Shaddi Abusaid, ajc, 20 Jan. 2023
  • Doom might be behind the events that set in motion the conflict between Namor and Black Panther.
    Chris Smith, BGR, 3 Oct. 2022
  • Now that the judge has denied Kardashian's motion in the latest court filing, the case will go to trial.
    Charmaine Patterson, PEOPLE.com, 17 June 2022
  • English voted for the motion and Judd and Crosby voted against it.
    Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 29 Nov. 2022
  • To quickly remove stems from greens: Hold the stem end with one hand and firmly pull back and away along the stem in one smooth motion with the other hand, suggest the chefs.
    People Staff, PEOPLE.com, 1 Aug. 2022
  • Your therapist will measure your progress and track your range of motion and flexibility.
    Jonathan Cluett, Verywell Health, 2 Feb. 2023
  • This chaotic turbulent motion built up each magnetic field even more, which in turn strengthened the turbulence in a self-sustaining loop, Gissinger says.
    Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 24 Jan. 2023
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motion

2 of 2 verb
  • The guard motioned us through the gate.
  • She motioned at the empty chair beside her and told me to sit down.
  • She motioned to her assistant.
  • The songstress then motioned him over and snuck a peck on the lips.
    Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2018
  • Lined up in the slot was Brown, who motioned from right to left.
    Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 6 Nov. 2019
  • The sailor on the Vestal motioned to the six Arizona crewmen.
    Shaun McKinnon, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2020
  • Bale took a step back, motioning to the net and got a spin on it.
    SI.com, 26 May 2018
  • When the ball went out for a U.S. throw-in, Rapinoe motioned for the ball girl to give her the ball for a quick restart.
    Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, 28 June 2019
  • At the old fire crew bunkhouse, Ben motioned me around a corner.
    Cassidy Randall, Longreads, 16 Feb. 2023
  • After a long stalk to the edge of the oaks, Clay peered through an opening, set up the sticks, and motioned me over.
    Dave Hurteau, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2023
  • But the pilot motioned to an area in the distance that was cloaked in clouds, and shook his head.
    Jon Lee Anderson, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Mar. 2018
  • One of the suspects pulled out a pistol and motioned for the woman to get out of her car.
    Michelle Hunter, NOLA.com, 14 Jan. 2018
  • Michi took the regulator out of her mouth and motioned for B.T. to do the same.
    Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 9 Feb. 2024
  • Sam motioned for something, and Chris broke it down for him.
    Dante Ross, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2023
  • Graham was the on-deck hitter on the play and never motioned for Holvey to slide.
    Kirk Kenney, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 June 2018
  • The back, Wendell Smallwood, motioned behind Wentz to the left.
    Peter King, SI.com, 11 Feb. 2018
  • Home-plate umpire Chris Conroy motioned for both to leave the field, and yelled at them.
    Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 23 Jan. 2024
  • Dionate Spencer motioned from left to right before the snap.
    Ryan O’Halloran, The Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2019
  • While walking off the mound, Graterol motioned to the crowd to start applauding and support the team.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023
  • At some point, the complainant said Spacey opened his arms, motioning for the complainant to give him a hug.
    Manori Ravindran, Variety, 10 July 2023
  • Surveying the gaps in the wall along the high school, Doherty motioned to the campus.
    Robert Weisman, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2018
  • On a second-down run, Kitchens motioned Hunt from split wide right and had him cross the formation at the snap.
    Ellis L. Williams, cleveland, 12 Nov. 2019
  • To be clear, Trump could’ve been motioning to any number of things.
    Alvin Chang, Vox, 8 Aug. 2018
  • Greinke motioned to the training staff during the first inning of Friday night’s 8-7 win over the Dodgers.
    Nick Piecoro, azcentral, 14 Apr. 2018
  • After recording the second out of the fifth inning, Hicks motioned for Bailey to come to the mound.
    Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
  • The 49ers will use him on jet sweeps or motion him into the backfield, but the objective is often the edge.
    Dallas News, 13 Jan. 2022
  • The man pulled up his shirt and motioned to his waistline at what Beltran assumed was a weapon.
    Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2019
  • In the hearing video, Paxton motioned to Hilton to respond.
    Lauren McGaughy, Dallas News, 26 July 2023
  • Before the ambulance left the field, Harris was able to motion a thumbs-up signal to the crowd.
    Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 16 Oct. 2023
  • Makhlouf motioned to refer the whole proposal back to the Plan Commission for discussion before the Council's final vote on the height limits.
    Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'motion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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