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
In its own surveys, Google found that its new Material 3 Expressive design language, with its responsive animations and playful typography, scored high across all age groups.
—Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 21 May 2025
Developing or deploying avatars with lifelike animations and multilingual capabilities can require significant upfront investment.
—Jiajun Lu, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
In addition to the design-rendering technology, the company has been working on a virtual try-on process as well as digital templates, animations and other materials brands can use to market their products.
—Penelope Colston, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Some of the new format changes will include to-camera moments where characters will speak directly to viewers, animation overlays, visual effects such as wand sparkles, bubbles and confetti, and one 11-minute story.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for animation
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Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 21 May 2025
Developing or deploying avatars with lifelike animations and multilingual capabilities can require significant upfront investment.
—Jiajun Lu, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
In addition to the design-rendering technology, the company has been working on a virtual try-on process as well as digital templates, animations and other materials brands can use to market their products.
—Penelope Colston, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Some of the new format changes will include to-camera moments where characters will speak directly to viewers, animation overlays, visual effects such as wand sparkles, bubbles and confetti, and one 11-minute story.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 19 May 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 28 May. 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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