movable
/ˈmuːvəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmuːvəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmü-və-bəl/ (ame, mw)
movable — adjective
- movablepositive
- more movablecomparative
- most movablesuperlative
1. describes an object that can change where it is, by being carried, pushed, or ro
describes an object that can change where it is, by being carried, pushed, or rolled to another spot
The movable shelves in Henry's kitchen let him store tall bottles below.
attributive use: movable + noun
All the classroom desks are movable, so the teacher rearranges them for group work.
predicative use: be + movable
The hospital uses movable partitions to give each patient more privacy.
The shelves inside Benjamin's refrigerator are all movable, so he can fit tall juice bottles on the bottom.
For the school play, the drama club borrowed movable stage platforms that can be arranged into different shapes.
- portable
suggests something light enough to carry by hand, while movable covers anything that can change position
- adjustable
focuses on changing height, angle, or position rather than moving to a different location
- mobile
used for living things or vehicles that can move independently
文法句型
movable + noun
be + movable
用法筆記
Frequently contrasts with 'fixed' or 'permanent'. Common for furniture, partitions, shelves, and machinery that can be repositioned.
常見錯誤
2. describes a festival, holiday, or event whose date falls on a different day each
describes a festival, holiday, or event whose date falls on a different day each year rather than on a fixed calendar date
Easter is a movable holiday — this year it falls in March, but next year it will shift to mid-April.
collocation: movable holiday (attributive)
Lunar New Year is a movable feast; in 2025 it begins on January 29, but in 2026 it shifts to February 17.
collocation: movable feast with calendar-year examples
Every autumn, Eleni’s family celebrates a movable holiday whose date shifts according to the lunar calendar.
Many public schools in the United States treat spring break as a movable date that shifts with Easter each year.
文法句型
movable + noun (feast, holiday, date, calendar)
用法筆記
Almost always appears before nouns such as 'feast', 'holiday', 'date', or 'calendar'. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not describe physical movement — it refers to a schedule that shifts year to year.
movable — noun
1. an object, especially a piece of furniture, equipment, or personal property, tha
an object, especially a piece of furniture, equipment, or personal property, that can be taken from one home or building to another
The lawyer said the house was real estate, but the furniture counted as movable property.
legal collocation: movable property
When Renata moved overseas, she sold all her movables instead of shipping them.
plural noun: movables
Insurance for movables such as computers and artwork is separate from home insurance.
Amihan packed her movables into boxes before the removal truck arrived the next morning.
- chattel
legal term for movable property, but also includes livestock and slaves in historical contexts
- personal property
broader legal term covering all property except land
- belongings
everyday word for items you own, less formal than 'movables'
- immovable property
legal term for land and buildings fixed to it
- real estate
everyday term for land and buildings
文法句型
movable + noun (property)
plural: movables
用法筆記
Primarily a legal or formal term. Often paired with 'property' in the phrase 'movable property' to distinguish it from real estate (immovable property). In everyday speech, 'belongings' or 'furniture' is more common.