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motion picture

motion picture

83 3.0
A story that uses moving images and sound, like a movie
  • noun
  • /ˈmoʊʃən ˈpɪkʧər/
translation icon : película
  • The motion picture premiered at the local theater, captivating audiences with its stunning visuals and compelling story.
  • motion picture industry
  • motion picture film
  • major motion picture

Some, like for instance, some adversary characters in major motion pictures are pretty obvious, right?

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Actors and their guild, SAG, challenged racial discrimination in the motion picture industry.

    Academic text (2012)
  • In general, the effects of American motion pictures overseas were uncertain and unpredictable.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Now you see what a motion picture career can do for you?

  • This motion picture is dedicated to France.

  • A much greater use should be made of motion pictures and other visual aids.

    Academic text (1995)
  • There was a whole crop of major motion pictures on the horizon.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • You're asking a lot of a motion picture audience.

  • No wonder film producer John Woolf wants to turn the play into a major motion picture.

  • The motion picture rights to it alone should be worth 10,000 pounds.

  • I am pleased to have been asked to introduce this motion picture, which is based on the actual experiences of this pilot, Colonel Dean Hess of the United States Air Force.

Synonyms

movie
vsmotion picture
  • US
1.0

A story told with moving pictures on a screen

is the general, formal term for that same screened recorded story
film
vsmotion picture
1.0

A story shown as moving images in a cinema or on screen

is the standard broad term for that audiovisual story form
picture
vsmotion picture
  • Archaic
691 7.7

A movie shown on a screen in a theatre or at home

is the modern, neutral term for the same audiovisual story
flick
vsmotion picture
  • Informal
81 4.1

A casual word for a movie you watch at a cinema

is the neutral formal term used in general contexts
feature film
vsmotion picture
40 2.8

A full-length movie shown as the main attraction in a cinema

is the general term that also covers shorter and longer works
pic
vsmotion picture
  • Informal
16 8.1

A movie shown in a cinema or on screen

is the neutral, full expression for that same entertainment format
picture show
vsmotion picture
  • Archaic
10 2.5

A film shown in a cinema for people to watch

is the wider descriptive term for that screened entertainment
moving picture
vsmotion picture
8 3.5

A movie shown on a screen that tells a story

is the common, formal label for that same image sequence
talking picture
vsmotion picture
  • Archaic
1 7.2

A film with recorded voices and music

is the general form not limited to having synchronized speech
moving-picture show
vsmotion picture
  • Archaic
1 5.5

A show that tells a story with moving images and sound like a movie

is the broader name for the same presented audiovisual story
photoplay
vsmotion picture
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An old word for a movie from the early days of film

is the contemporary, neutral name for that same cinematic art
motion-picture show
vsmotion picture
2.9

A public show where moving pictures and sound tell a story, like a film at a cinema

is the general term for that entertainment rather than the event

How Long

feature film
40 2.8
motion picture
83 3.0
short subject
  • US
2 6.5
clip
526 1.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

motion + picture

The meaning 'a movie' is directly derivable from combining 'motion' (movement) and 'picture' (image): a moving image = a film. This compositional pattern is intuitive and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun motion picture comes from the early days when people showed many still pictures quickly so the image looked like it moved; it was literally a motion (movement) picture. So the phrase simply means a 'movie' or 'film' today.