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 producers are David Alric and Arthur Delabays of French animation studio Bobbypills (Creature Commandos).
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
As one of the largest anthropomorphics conventions in the world, attendees can expect workshops and seminars on acting, costume building, animation, writing, art and design and more.
—Finch Walker, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Soderbergh deploys archival footage, stills, music, animation, and as he’s extensively discussed, generative AI to contextualize John and Yoko’s thoughts about their current moment.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
My first ever short was actually an animation film — stop motion animation.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for animation
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Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
As one of the largest anthropomorphics conventions in the world, attendees can expect workshops and seminars on acting, costume building, animation, writing, art and design and more.
—Finch Walker, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Soderbergh deploys archival footage, stills, music, animation, and as he’s extensively discussed, generative AI to contextualize John and Yoko’s thoughts about their current moment.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 15 May 2026
My first ever short was actually an animation film — stop motion animation.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for animation
Cite this Entry
“Animation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/animation. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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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