moved
moved — verb
1. went from one spot to another, or shifted the position of a person or thing phys
went from one spot to another, or shifted the position of a person or thing physically.
Yasmin moved her chair closer to the window so she could read in the sunlight.
moved + object + adverbial of direction
The crowd moved slowly toward the stadium gates after the final whistle blew.
intransitive with adverb of manner
Caleb moved the heavy box from the kitchen floor to the back of the truck.
Please don't speak while the dentist is working — you moved your head and the drill slipped.
Amihan moved her hand under the table and squeezed her sister's fingers for comfort.
- froze
stopped moving suddenly
文法句型
moved + adverb/prep phrase
moved + object + adverb/prep phrase
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (change of home) by checking the object: in this sense the object is a body part, an item, or a group of people relocating only a short distance.
常見錯誤
2. left one home, office, or town and started living or working in a different one.
left one home, office, or town and started living or working in a different one.
Élise moved to Taipei last year and now teaches French at a small language school.
moved to + city, common past-tense pattern
After the new baby arrived, the Lin family moved into a larger apartment near the park.
moved into + new home
Samir's parents moved out of the old farmhouse the week the roof started leaking.
The bookshop moved across the street last spring and now has a small cafe inside.
Mauricio moved in with his grandmother while he saved money for his own flat.
- stayed
remained in the same place
文法句型
moved to + place
moved into/out of + place
moved in/out
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person, family, household, business, or office. Differs from sense 1 because the change is of permanent residence or workplace, not just position.
常見錯誤
3. advanced step by step to a new stage, condition, or phase, without changing phys
advanced step by step to a new stage, condition, or phase, without changing physical place.
The discussion moved from school policy to the budget after about thirty minutes.
moved from X to Y — change of topic/stage
Xiu moved into management after five years as a software engineer at the same firm.
moved into + career stage
The country moved toward economic recovery in the two years after the floods.
We've moved past the planning stage and now need to find a builder.
Dylan moved on quickly after the breakup and started a new band the next month.
- progressed
slightly more formal; emphasises forward direction
- advanced
suggests improvement or promotion
- shifted
describes a change in direction rather than continuous progress
文法句型
moved toward + noun
moved into + phase/stage
moved on
用法筆記
Frequently followed by prepositions like 'toward', 'into', 'past', or 'on'. Subject is usually a person, group, project, country, or discussion rather than a physical object.
常見錯誤
4. started acting on something rather than waiting, often with speed or decisivenes
started acting on something rather than waiting, often with speed or decisiveness.
The fire brigade moved fast and put out the kitchen fire before it reached the upstairs bedrooms.
moved fast — common collocation for swift action
Gabriel moved to fix the broken pipe as soon as he heard water dripping in the basement.
moved to + infinitive
The board moved quickly to cut costs after the quarterly numbers came back weak.
Aylin moved to apologise the moment she realised her email had upset the new intern.
文法句型
moved quickly/fast
moved to + infinitive
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3: this sense is about starting action, often urgently; sense 3 is about gradual progress along a path or phase.
常見錯誤
5. changed the time or date set for a meeting, lesson, or other planned event.
changed the time or date set for a meeting, lesson, or other planned event.
Ari moved the staff meeting to Thursday afternoon so the new manager could attend.
moved + event + to + new time
The school moved sports day forward by a week because rain was forecast.
moved + event + forward by + duration
Quinn moved the dentist appointment back to next Monday after the car broke down.
The wedding planner moved the rehearsal dinner to the hotel ballroom at the last minute.
- rescheduled
more formal, written contexts
- postponed
specifically means delayed; never moved earlier
- rearranged
British English, common in spoken use
- kept
left the time unchanged
文法句型
moved + meeting/event + to + new time
moved + event + forward/back
用法筆記
Object is typically a scheduled event (meeting, appointment, lesson, deadline). Often paired with 'forward', 'back', 'up', or a new time/date phrase.
常見錯誤
6. shifted a playing piece to a new square or position during a board or card game,
shifted a playing piece to a new square or position during a board or card game, or took one's turn in such a game.
Christopher moved his knight to threaten the queen, and his grandfather smiled and resigned the game.
moved + chess piece + to + square
Sophia moved first, sliding her checker diagonally onto a dark square near the centre.
moved first — common in turn-based games
The white pawn moved two squares forward on the opening turn, as the rules allow.
Nikhil moved his rook across the board to defend the king from the approaching bishop.
- passed
took the turn without moving a piece
文法句型
moved + piece + to + square
moved first
用法筆記
Only sense where the object is typically a named playing piece (knight, rook, pawn, checker). Intransitive use means 'took a turn'.
7. put forward a formal request, motion, or proposal in a meeting, court, or assemb
put forward a formal request, motion, or proposal in a meeting, court, or assembly so that others can vote or decide on it.
Olivia moved that the committee delay the vote until the legal opinion arrived from the firm.
moved that + subjunctive clause — formal motion
Jason moved for a brief recess so the witness could speak privately with her lawyer.
moved for + noun (legal register)
The senator moved a motion to ban single-use plastics in all government buildings by next year.
Léa moved that the chair be reelected for another two-year term at the spring assembly.
- proposed
more general; not limited to formal procedure
- petitioned
formal written request, often to a court or authority
文法句型
moved that + clause
moved a motion
moved for + noun
用法筆記
Formal register, common in parliamentary procedure, court hearings, and committee minutes. Usually paired with 'that' + clause, or 'for' + noun.
常見錯誤
8. was bought or rented quickly, or caused goods or property to be bought or rented
was bought or rented quickly, or caused goods or property to be bought or rented.
The new winter jackets moved fast — the shop sold out by the second weekend.
X moved fast — informal retail usage
Cyrus moved a hundred units of the new phone case in his first month on the sales floor.
moved + quantity + of product
These apartments moved quickly once the agent lowered the rent by two hundred dollars.
Astrid moved most of her old textbooks at the second-hand book fair on Saturday.
- sat
remained unsold
文法句型
moved + product (transitive)
X moved + adverb of speed
用法筆記
Common in retail, real-estate, and sales talk. Subject is usually the product (intransitive) or the seller (transitive). 'Moved fast' and 'moved well' are typical collocations.
9. emptied the bowels, or caused the bowels to empty.
emptied the bowels, or caused the bowels to empty.
The nurse asked Iker whether his bowels had moved since the surgery on Monday morning.
X's bowels moved — clinical register
A spoonful of olive oil before breakfast moved her bowels gently within an hour.
moved + bowels (transitive, with cause)
Lisa told the doctor that her bowels had not moved for three days after starting the new medication.
The herbal tea moved his bowels enough to relieve the discomfort he had felt all evening.
- evacuated
more clinical; verb of formal medical writing
- constipated
adjective; describes the opposite state
文法句型
X's bowels moved
moved + X's bowels
用法筆記
Mostly clinical or medical contexts. Patients and nurses often use this phrasing rather than blunter alternatives. Avoid in casual writing.
10. caused someone to do something by giving them a strong reason or feeling.
caused someone to do something by giving them a strong reason or feeling.
The teacher's quiet patience moved Jiwoo to apologise to the classmate she had pushed.
moved + person + to + infinitive
Baraka's speech moved several donors to write checks for the new community centre.
Reading the diary moved Matthew to call his mother for the first time in two years.
The photograph of the flooded village moved the prime minister to send emergency funds.
- discouraged
caused someone to give up the action
文法句型
moved + person + to + infinitive
用法筆記
Subject is usually the cause (event, words, sight); object is the person persuaded; followed by 'to' + base verb. Different from sense 11 (emotional reaction) — this sense requires that the person actually does the action.
常見錯誤
11. stirred strong feelings of sadness, pity, gratitude, or admiration in someone.
stirred strong feelings of sadness, pity, gratitude, or admiration in someone.
The widow's quiet thank-you moved Manuela so deeply that she wiped tears from her cheeks.
moved + person + adverb of depth
Constanza was moved by the children's drawings sent from the earthquake-hit village near the coast.
be moved by + cause — common passive
The old soldier's letter moved the audience to a long silence before the applause began.
Mathieu found that the film moved him in a way he had not expected at his age.
- unmoved
not affected emotionally
文法句型
moved + person
be moved by + cause
用法筆記
Frequently passive ('was moved by …'). Distinct from sense 10: here the focus is on the inner feeling; sense 10 requires that the person also did something as a result.
常見錯誤
12. forced something stuck or heavy out of its fixed place.
forced something stuck or heavy out of its fixed place.
Sumin couldn't move the rusty bolt no matter how hard she pulled with the wrench.
couldn't move — common with stuck objects
Two strong neighbours moved the fallen tree off the road within half an hour of the storm.
Roya finally moved the heavy bookcase away from the wall to check for the missing earring.
The mechanic moved the seized engine part using oil and a long steel bar.
- left
did not disturb
文法句型
wouldn't / couldn't move + object
moved + heavy/stuck object
用法筆記
Often appears in negative or qualified statements ('couldn't move', 'finally moved') because the object is presented as resistant. Distinguish from sense 1 by the effort involved.
moved — adjective
1. feeling strong sadness, sympathy, or gratitude because of something a person has
feeling strong sadness, sympathy, or gratitude because of something a person has said, done, or shown.
Yasmin was visibly moved when the nurses sang to her grandfather on his last birthday.
visibly moved — common adverb collocation
The principal looked deeply moved as the students presented her with a hand-painted thank-you card.
deeply moved — intensifying adverb
Caleb felt moved by the simple kindness of the stranger who paid for his coffee.
The audience seemed quietly moved by the violinist's tribute to her late teacher.
- unmoved
showing no emotional reaction
- indifferent
showing no interest or concern
文法句型
be moved by + cause
deeply / visibly / clearly moved
用法筆記
Almost always used predicatively after 'be', 'feel', 'look', 'seem'. Modified by adverbs like 'deeply', 'visibly', 'genuinely', 'quietly'. Not normally placed before a noun ('a moved listener' sounds odd; say 'a listener who was deeply moved').