stop-motion

noun

stop-mo·​tion ˈstäp-ˈmō-shən How to pronounce stop-motion (audio)
often attributive
: a filming technique in which successive positions of objects (such as clay models) are photographed to produce the appearance of movement

Examples of stop-motion in a Sentence

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.
Now, technically, any movie that has stop-motion or CGI (so, every modern blockbuster) could qualify, since those are animation styles. — James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 Related Stories Saunders adapted his own novel for the screen for the hybrid stop-motion animation/live-action title. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026 Disney+ has set a global distribution deal with the Pokémon Company International that will include a new stop-motion series coming in 2027. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 The filmmaker Lucas Ansel picked up on this fact, and ran with it, creating a stop-motion-animation adaptation of the classic Shouts, which describes a bit of a monkey’s-paw situation, involving a hard-of-hearing genie in a bathroom, naturally. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stop-motion

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stop-motion was in 1912

Rhymes for stop-motion

See All Rhymes for stop-motion

Browse Nearby Words

stop-loss order
stop-motion
stop net
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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