motion picture

[ moh-shuhn pik-cher ]

noun

1. Movies.
   1. a sequence of consecutive still images photographed in a series by a specially designed camera motion-picture camera and thrown on a screen by a projector motion-picture projector in such rapid succession as to give the illusion of natural movement:

      Jean Cocteau produced some of the most innovative motion pictures of the postwar era.

   2. such a video sequence recorded and played in other media formats, as VHS or digital video:

      Critics have given mixed reviews to the new trend of feature-length motion pictures shot on smartphones.

2. a story, event, or the like, presented in this form:

   The motion picture is adapted from the novel of the same name.

3. motion pictures, the art, technique, or business of producing motion pictures:

   The Academy honors achievement in motion pictures every year at the Oscars.

motion picture

noun

1. Also calledfilm
   1. a sequence of images of moving objects photographed by a camera and providing the optical illusion of continuous movement when projected onto a screen
   2. a form of entertainment, information, etc, composed of such a sequence of images and shown in a cinema, etc

Other Words From

• mo·tion-pic·ture adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of motion picture¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Related Words

• cinema
• feature film
• flick
• talkie