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
Australian animation studio Cosmic Dino, which is providing end-to-end CG services for the upcoming Bluey movie, has signed with UTA & Fourth Wall for international representation.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 June 2025
Created with rotoscope animation, Dog of God is set in the 17th century and focuses on a woman accused of witchcraft and how her trial uncovers the existence of a werewolf.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
Instead of just going blank, After Dark screensavers showed animations: flying toasters, or falling rain, or overlapping curved lines in neon gradients.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 30 May 2025
The occasionally unsettling beauty of The Midnight Walk’s handmade characters and landscapes is magnificently effective because of stirring yet creepy stop-motion animation.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for animation
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Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 June 2025
Created with rotoscope animation, Dog of God is set in the 17th century and focuses on a woman accused of witchcraft and how her trial uncovers the existence of a werewolf.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
Instead of just going blank, After Dark screensavers showed animations: flying toasters, or falling rain, or overlapping curved lines in neon gradients.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 30 May 2025
The occasionally unsettling beauty of The Midnight Walk’s handmade characters and landscapes is magnificently effective because of stirring yet creepy stop-motion animation.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 30 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 7 Jun. 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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