move

1 verb

1 CHANGE PLACE (I, T) to change your place or position, or to make something do this: Don't move or I'll shoot. | You mustn't get off the train while it's still moving. | move sth: Can you move your car - it's blocking the road. | We'll have to move the bed closer to the wall. | move about BrE

/around: I could hear someone moving around upstairs. | can't move (=be stuck or trapped): Get me out of here - I can't move.

2 NEW HOUSE/OFFICE (I, T) to go to live or work in a different place

(+ to): When are you moving to Memphis? (+ into): They've moved into a bigger office. | move house/home BrE (=go to live in a different house): My parents kept moving house because of my dad's job.

3 CHANGE JOB/CLASS ETC (I, T) to change to a different job, class etc, or to make someone change to a different job, class etc: move sb to/into: His teacher wants him moved to a higher class. | move to/from: She's just moved from the sales department.

4 CHANGE YOUR OPINION

a) (I) to change from one opinion or way of thinking to another: Neither side is willing to move on the issue of territory.

(+ towards/away from): The two political parties have moved closer towards each other in recent months.

b) (T) to persuade someone to change their opinion: She won't be moved - it doesn't matter what you say to her.

5 MAKE SB SAD (T) to make someone feel strong feelings, especially of sadness or sympathy: be deeply/greatly moved: I was deeply moved by their story. | move sb to tears: The child's suffering moved us to tears.

—see also: moving

6 PROGRESS (I) to progress in a particular way or at a particular rate: Things moved quickly once the contract was signed. | The negotiations seem to be moving in the right direction.

7 be/feel moved to do sth to want to do something because you feel angry, sad etc: Hearing so much nonsense talked, I felt moved to speak on the subject.

8 get moving informal

a) used when telling someone to hurry or when saying that you must hurry: We'd better get moving if we're going to catch that plane.

b) spoken used to tell someone that you need to leave a place: It's time we got moving - I have to be up early tomorrow.

9 get things moving informal to make a process or event start happening

10 CHANGE ARRANGEMENTS (T) to change the time or order of something: move sth to/from: Could we move the meeting to Thursday?

11 CHANGE SUBJECT/ACTIVITY (I) to change from one subject or activity to another

(+ away from/off): We seem to be moving away from the main point of the discussion. —see also: move on move 1

12 START DEALING WITH (I) to start doing something, especially in order to achieve something or deal with a problem

(+ on/against etc): The governor has yet to move on any of the recommendations in the report. | move fast/quickly: You'll have to move fast if you want to get a place on the course.

13 LEAVE (I) BrE especially spoken to go somewhere or leave a place: It's time we were moving.

14 GAMES (I, T) to change the position of one of the pieces used to play a game such as chess

15 AT A MEETING (I, T) formal to officially make a proposal at a meeting: move that: The chairman moved that the meeting be adjourned. | move an amendment BrE (=propose a change): They want to move an amendment to the bill.

16 GO FAST (I) informal to travel very fast: This car can really move!

17 SELL STH (I) informal to sell something quickly: You should watch these juggling kits move. The kids love 'em.

18 not move a muscle to stay completely still

19 move with the times to change the way you think and behave, as the world changes around you

20 you can't move/you can hardly move spoken used to say that a place is very full and there is not much space: The bar was so crowded you could hardly move.

21 you can't move for spoken used to say that a place is full of a particular kind of people or things: You couldn't move for police in town this morning.

22 move in a society/world/circle to spend a lot of time with a particular kind of people and know them well: Lady Olga moved in a different social world from me.

—see also: move the goalposts goalpost (2), move in for the kill kill 2 (2), move heaven and earth heaven (10), when the spirit moves you spirit 1 (13) move along phrasal verb

1 (I) BrE to move further towards the back or front of something: The bus-driver asked us all to move along.

2 (transitive move someone along) especially BrE to officially order someone to leave a public place: The police moved us along almost as soon as we started playing.

move away phrasal verb (I) to go to live in a different area: Her children had moved away and she was left on her own. move in phrasal verb (I)

1 to start living in a new house: We decided not to move in until we'd finished decorating.

2 to start living with someone in the same house

(+ with): She wants her boyfriend to move in with her.

3 to take control of a situation, often using your power and influence unfairly: The big multinationals moved in and started pushing up prices.

4 to go towards a place or group of people in order to attack them or take control of them

(+ on): Already a special police task force was preparing to move in on the gang. move off phrasal verb (I) if a vehicle or group of people moves off, they start to leave the place where they are: The conductor blew his whistle and the train slowly moved off. move on phrasal verb

1 CONTINUE JOURNEY (I) to leave the place where you have been staying and continue your journey: That's enough rest - it's time to move on.

2 CHANGE SUBJECT (I) to start talking about a new subject in a discussion, book etc: I think we've covered this topic - is it all right if we move on?

3 CHANGE JOB/CLASS (I) to leave your present job, class, or activity and start doing another one

(+ to): Children usually move on to secondary school at 11.

4 PROGRESS/DEVELOP (I)

a) to develop in your life, and become older and more experienced

(+ from): I felt that I'd moved on from my college days, and didn't want to go back.

b) to become more modern, advanced, or complicated than before: In my day you could only get them in black-and-white, but things have moved on since then.

5 move on to higher/better things humorous to get a better job or social position: I expect you'll be moving on to higher things now that you have your degree.

6 TIME (I) if time moves on, the year moves on etc, the time passes

7 time is moving on BrE spoken used to say that you must leave soon or do something soon, because it is getting late: Time's moving on - we'd better get back to the car.

8 MAKE SB LEAVE (transitive move someone on) BrE to officially order someone to leave a public place: We got moved on by the police for making too much noise.

move out phrasal verb (I)

1 to leave the house where you are living now in order to go and live somewhere else

(+ of): They want to find a house somewhere and move out of their apartment.

2 if a group of soldiers moves out, they leave a place

3 AmE informal to leave: Is everything packed? Then let's move out.

move over phrasal verb (I)

1 to change position so that there is more space for someone else: Move over so that we can all sit down.

2 to change to a different system, opinion, group of people etc

(+ to): Most companies have moved over to computer-aided design systems. move up phrasal verb (I)

1 BrE to change position in order to make more space for other people or things, or to be near someone else: There's room for one more if everyone moves up a bit.

2 to get a better job in a company, or move to a higher class in a school: Everyone here's very ambitious - they all want to move up as quickly as possible.

3 move up in the world often humorous to get a better job or social position: John's moved up in the world since you knew him - he's a director now.

2 noun

1 ACTION (singular) something that you decide to do: She's still thinking about her next move. | a good/wise/smart etc move: He said he was starting his own company, which sounded like a smart move.

2 make a move

a) to move in a particular direction, especially in order to attack someone or to escape: If anyone makes a move, I'll shoot.

(+ towards/for): He suddenly made a move towards the door.

b) to do something to achieve a particular result: Neither side had made a move to resolve the dispute.

c) BrE informal to leave a place: It's getting late - we ought to make a move.

3 be on the move

a) to be travelling from one place to the next: We have received reports that the rebel army is on the move.

b) to be busy and active: She's always on the move, isn't she?

c) to be changing and developing a lot: Georgian England was a society on the move.

4 get a move on spoken used to tell someone to hurry: Get a move on or we'll be late!

5 make the first move to do something first, especially in order to end a quarrel or start a relationship: Neither was willing to make the first move towards reconciliation.

6 watch/follow sb's every move to carefully watch everything that someone does, especially because you think they are doing something illegal: I have three officers watching his every move.

7 make no move to do sth to make no attempt to prevent someone from doing something: They were staring, but made no move to stop us.

8 GOING TO A NEW PLACE (singular) the process of leaving one house, office etc, and going to live or work in a different one: "How was the move?" "Exhausting!"

9 PROGRESS (C) something that is done to improve a situation: It's a move in the right direction.

10 GAMES (C)

a) an act of changing the position of one of the objects in a game such as chess

b) a way in which this may be done, according to the rules: I'm learning all the different moves.

c) the time when a player can move one of these objects: It's your move.