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
The movie was made entirely in China, involving 138 animation companies and more than 4,000 crew, according to its end credits.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 20 July 2025
Pixar, an animation studio owned by Disney, announced the film's theatrical return in an X post on Thursday, July 17.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 19 July 2025
Given how a new animation style is invented with each installment, there’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into these movies.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 July 2025
Afterwards, little rubber Smurf figurines started to be handed out to people filling up their gas tanks, and when an American TV executive got hold of one, the famed animation studio Hanna-Barbera produced a TV show that came out in 1981.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for animation
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Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 20 July 2025
Pixar, an animation studio owned by Disney, announced the film's theatrical return in an X post on Thursday, July 17.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 19 July 2025
Given how a new animation style is invented with each installment, there’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into these movies.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 July 2025
Afterwards, little rubber Smurf figurines started to be handed out to people filling up their gas tanks, and when an American TV executive got hold of one, the famed animation studio Hanna-Barbera produced a TV show that came out in 1981.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 18 July 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 29 Jul. 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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