Move (verb) — to change position or location; to go from one place to another; to affect someone emotionally.
Move (noun) — a change of home or job; a deliberate action taken as part of a plan or strategy.
What Does Move Mean?
Move is one of the most common and flexible words in English. As a verb, its core meaning is straightforward: to change the position of something or someone. You can move a chair across a room, move to a new city, or move a chess piece. At a higher register, move can mean to affect someone deeply — a piece of music or a speech can move a person to tears.
As a noun, a move describes either a physical relocation (a house move, a company move) or a strategic action (a bold move, a smart career move). In games such as chess or draughts, a move is each individual turn a player takes.
Because move spans physical, emotional, and strategic domains, learners at every level encounter it regularly. Getting comfortable with its many collocations and phrasal verb forms (move on, move in, move out, move forward) is an important step toward natural, fluent English.
Example Sentences (A2–C1)
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| Please move your bag so others can sit down. | A2 — basic imperative, physical object |
| My family moved to Manchester when I was seven years old. | B1 — past simple, change of residence |
| Accepting that job offer was the best move she ever made. | B1 — noun, career decision |
| It is time to move on and stop dwelling on past mistakes. | B2 — phrasal verb, emotional/psychological progress |
| The director's ability to move the audience with a single lingering shot is what distinguishes his work. | C1 — emotional impact, formal register |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| move house | relocate to a new home (British English) | "We are planning to move house in the spring." |
| make a move | take an action; also, begin to leave | "It is getting late — I should make a move." |
| bold/smart move | a brave or clever decision | "Launching the product early was a bold move." |
| career move | a decision related to one's professional life | "Changing sectors was an excellent career move." |
| move forward | make progress; advance | "Both sides agreed to move forward with negotiations." |
| move in / move out | begin or stop living in a place | "She moves in to the new flat next Friday." |
| move on | progress past something; leave a subject or place behind | "Let us move on to the next item on the agenda." |
Related Words (Word Family)
Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage Notes
Move vs. remove: Move means to change position; remove means to take away entirely. "Move the vase to the shelf" places it elsewhere; "remove the vase" takes it away from the context altogether.
Move vs. movement: Use move for a single, specific action or decision. Use movement for an ongoing process, a trend, or an organised group: "the women's rights movement", "freedom of movement".
Move house is a standard British English expression for relocating. American English uses "move" alone or "move to a new house / apartment". Avoid "change house" — this is a common ESL error.
Emotionally moved: At B2 and above, moved functions as an adjective meaning deeply affected by something: "She was visibly moved by the tribute." This usage is common in formal writing, reviews, and speeches.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
We changed house last year to a bigger flat.
We moved house last year to a bigger flat. (British English: "move house", not "change house")
She moved to tears by the story.
She was moved to tears by the story. (requires the passive: "was moved")
Can you move out of the road? (formal / written instruction)
Can you move out of the way? ("out of the way" is the natural collocation in British English)