movie
Pluralmovies
- 1A recorded sequence of images displayed on a screen quickly enough to create the appearance of motion.
Critics praised the movie for its stunning visuals and tight pacing.
Most movies in the series follow the same reluctant hero.
UsageOutside these regions people often say film. You watch a movie or see a movie.
Note
It was in use by 1912, perhaps by 1908, and was American at first.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Movie was in use by 1912, possibly by 1908, and originated in American English. en.wiktionary.org
- 2Usually the movies: a theater where films are shown to the paying public; a cinema.
When it rains, the kids beg to go to the movies instead of the park.
After dinner the family headed to the movies for the late show.
UsageUsually go to the movies; to name the building, movie theater is clearer than a movie.
- 3An event of any kind, especially one felt to be unpleasant or tiresome.
Between the flat tire and the pouring rain, the drive home was a whole movie.
It took five phone calls to fix my bank account, and it was a whole movie.
UsageOften a whole movie, or been through this movie before for a trouble that keeps coming back.
Similarordeal, saga, hassle, nightmare, palaver
Note
Here the word turns weary, casting an ordeal as a film one has already sat through. Charles Nicholl writes "I've been through this movie before, I thought" in The Fruit Palace (1985).
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Charles Nicholl wrote The Fruit Palace. penguin.co.uk
- The Fruit Palace contains the exact quotation given. en.wiktionary.org
- The Fruit Palace was first published in 1985. openlibrary.org
Less common meaning
- 4An experience regarded as extremely fun and exciting.
Her surprise birthday party turned out to be an absolute movie.
The championship game was a movie, and we couldn't stop talking about it for days.
UsageUsually after is or was: the party was a movie, a total movie.
Note
Lil Nas X compares his own life to a movie in "Old Town Road" (2018), and social media posts call a day "a total movie" or "literally a movie."
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of movie apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
The word joins "moving (picture)" with the ending "-ie." It began in American English and is recorded from 1912 at the latest, and possibly from 1908.