movable

1 of 3

adjective

mov·​able ˈmü-və-bəl How to pronounce movable (audio)
variants or moveable
Synonyms of movablenext
1
: capable of being moved
2
: changing date from year to year
movable holidays
movability
ˌmü-və-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce movable (audio)
noun
movableness
ˈmü-və-bəl-nəs How to pronounce movable (audio)
noun
movably
ˈmü-və-blē How to pronounce movable (audio)
adverb

movable

2 of 3

noun (1)

variants or moveable
: something (such as an article of furniture) that can be removed or displaced

movability

3 of 3

noun (2)

mov·​a·​bil·​i·​ty
variants or moveability
ˌmüvəˈbilətē, 
-lətē, 
-i
: the quality or state of being movable

Synonyms of movable

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Adjective

Noun (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of movable in a Sentence

Adjective Thanksgiving is a movable holiday. any furniture that is not movable will be covered with protective cloths by the painters Noun (1) when painting a room, you should first cover or remove all of the movables packed our movables into the van and headed off to our new home
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
As impressive as many space-saving tiny houses are, not everyone is cut out for climbing into small lofts using movable ladders, or sleeping on a sofa bed every night. — New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026 The idea is to develop the technology for movable plants that can be floated off the coast and used to power the port and eventually cities. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
The emerging legal regime seeks to simplify trust conflicts by eliminating historical distinctions between trusts of land and trusts of movables (personal property), and between testamentary and inter vivos trusts. — Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes.com, 13 Jan. 2026 From a life science point of view, these animals resemble a liquid—much more so than other creatures such as humans—because of their movable (and sometimes missing) collarbone. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for movable

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of movable was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing movable

Rhymes for movable

See All Rhymes for movable

Browse Nearby Words

movability
movable
movable-do system
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Movable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/movable. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

movable

1 of 2 adjective
mov·​able
variants or moveable
ˈmü-və-bəl How to pronounce movable (audio)
1
: capable of being moved : not fixed
2
: changing date from year to year
Thanksgiving is a movable holiday
movably
-blē How to pronounce movable (audio)
adverb

movable

2 of 2 noun
variants or moveable
: a piece of property (as an article of furniture) that can be moved

Legal Definition

movable

1 of 2 adjective
mov·​able
variants or moveable
ˈmü-və-bəl How to pronounce movable (audio)
: capable of being moved

movable

2 of 2 noun
variants or moveable
: an item of movable property
also : a right or interest (as a chattel mortgage) in an item of movable property
bonds and annuities are incorporeal movables
—often used in pl. compare immovable
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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