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
But pretty pages filled with fancy graphics and clever animations get ignored while ugly pages with clear messages make sales.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The graphical fidelity is impressive, and the animations are superb, especially on the characters' faces.
—Echo Apsey, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Clicking the 2024 s'mores doodle took users to an animation of a bear, squirrel and ghost each bringing a s'mores ingredient to the fire.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
Last month, the Television Academy unveiled the winners of the 77th Emmy Awards in its highly specialized juried categories, celebrating standout achievements in animation, costume, emerging media programming and motion design.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for animation
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Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The graphical fidelity is impressive, and the animations are superb, especially on the characters' faces.
—Echo Apsey, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Clicking the 2024 s'mores doodle took users to an animation of a bear, squirrel and ghost each bringing a s'mores ingredient to the fire.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
Last month, the Television Academy unveiled the winners of the 77th Emmy Awards in its highly specialized juried categories, celebrating standout achievements in animation, costume, emerging media programming and motion design.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 Sep. 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 13 Sep. 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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