animation
noun
an·i·ma·tion
ˌa-nə-ˈmā-shən 
plural animations
2
: a movie, scene, or sequence that simulates movement from a series of still frames (such as drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects moved incrementally)
His work often condenses stories of intricate subjects into brief looping animations.—
Paul Tough
Paul ToughThe work, titled Bigger Christmas Trees, was created on an iPad and features ten minutes of animation.—Julia Binswanger
Julia BinswangerAnd as the animation above shows, this tilt causes the Moon's shadow to miss the Earth.—Tom Yulsman
Tom Yulsman3
: the preparation of animation (as for animated cartoons, video games, commercials, etc.)
Examples of animation in a Sentence
The animation for the film took over two years to complete.
The studio used computer animation for some of the special effects.
The website has hundreds of animations you can download.
Recent Examples on the Web
Union and business leaders are pushing for legislation to more than double the California production tax incentive, and to open up the program to a wider range of projects, including sitcoms and animation.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
The storytelling and presentation is helped along by the fascinating visual style on offer, which aims to replicate stop-motion animation.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025
Macs are sleek, stable, and simple, but for PC users who are used to customizing everything from their startup sounds to their system animations, macOS can feel frustratingly limited.
—Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
The battles are limited in number, and yet hinder the sense of progression considerably with their tiresome nature and frantic attack animations.
—Sarah Thwaites, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for animation
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Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
The storytelling and presentation is helped along by the fascinating visual style on offer, which aims to replicate stop-motion animation.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Apr. 2025
Macs are sleek, stable, and simple, but for PC users who are used to customizing everything from their startup sounds to their system animations, macOS can feel frustratingly limited.
—Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
The battles are limited in number, and yet hinder the sense of progression considerably with their tiresome nature and frantic attack animations.
—Sarah Thwaites, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for animation
Cite this Entry
“Animation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animation. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
animation
noun
an·i·ma·tion
ˌan-ə-ˈmā-shən
1
: the state of being animate or animated
2
a
: a film made by photographing a series of positions of objects (as puppets)
b
3
: the making of animations
Medical Definition
animation
noun
an·i·ma·tion
ˌan-ə-ˈmā-shən
: the state of being animate or animated see suspended animation
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