- move#
- move vb 1 Move, actuate, drive, impel are comparable when they mean to set or keep going or in motion.Move is so general that the direction or nature of the motion can be gathered only from the context; it may imply an agent or an agency as the mover{
what power or force moves the rotating earth?
}{the mechanism that moves the locomotive
}{vessels moved by wind, steam, or electricity
}Actuate is more restricted in its reference than move, being used chiefly in connection with ma-chinery and mechanisms; it stresses the communication of power to work or to set in action{a turbine is actuated by the force of a current of fluid under pressure
}{most of the hydraulically operated items of equipment are actuated by pistons and cylinders— W. R. Sears
}Drive implies forward and, usually, continuous rather than recurrent motion; it often emphasizes the effect produced, as of speed, violence, or show of power, rather more than the impetus given{a ship driven by wind and tide
}{the washing machine is driven by electricity
}{the heart drives the blood through the arteries
}{air and petrol vapor . . . produce explosions powerful enough to drive the engine of a motorcar— Toynbee
}Impel, when used of physical motion, adds to drive the implication of great force in the impetus{imitated the action of a man's being impelled forward by the butt ends of muskets— Dickens
}These words also are synonymous when they mean to excite or provoke a person to a given act or action or to given conduct or behavior.Move may imply an agent, an external influence, or an inner spring or motive as the mover{if kingdom move thee not, let move thee zeal and duty— Milton
}{he was, through the years, a hard man to move— Malamud
}Actuate presupposes such an inner stimulus as a desire, a feeling, or a motive{it used to be the thing for parents to represent themselves as Olympians, immune from human passions and always actuated by pure reason— Russell
}{would deny with indignation that they are actuated in their esteem for science by its material serviceability— Dewey
}Drive presupposes a compelling force, sometimes outer, sometimes inner, which affects the freedom of the will{it was the crass materialism of America . . . that drove him to exasperation— Partington
}{what had I ever done to you that would drive you to such a step?— Mary Austin
}Impel, like actuate, implies an inner prompting, but it suggests greater urgency in the desire or motive and more headlong action{a life of adventure . . . was that to which his nature irresistibly impelled him— Arnold
}{she was a prey to shoddy, facile emotions .. . none of which had power to impel her to any action— Rose Macaulay
}Analogous words: *activate, actuate, motivate: *provoke, excite, quicken, stimulate: *induce, persuade, prevail, get2 Move, remove, shift, transfer are comparable when they mean to change or to cause to change from one place to another. All of these terms are general in that they do not in themselves and apart from the context imply a definite kind of agent or agency or a definite means of conveyance or transportation or give an indication of the extent of distance covered.Move is by far the most comprehensive term and is chiefly used when nothing more than the motion or activity involved in a change of place is to be indicated{move a table from a corner to the center of the room
}{moved his family from New York City to Chicago
}{move a house across the street to a larger lot
}{he will not move from that chair until he is called to dinner
}Remove adds to move the implication that the person or thing that changes or is changed from one place to another is moved from or quits a place which is his or its normal or original location, station, position, or occupation for one which is new or temporary{remove the cover from a platter
}{remove the dishes from the table
}When the idea of getting rid or eradicating is stressed, remove is appropriate{remove a person from office
}{they removed the cause of the epidemic of typhoid fever when they put the typhoid carrier under close surveillance
}Shift throws so much emphasis on change of location or direction that the implications of voluntary or guided motion or activity are seldom apparent; therefore the term is often preferred when unrest or uncertainty or instability is to be suggested{the cargo shifted in the storm
}{the wind will shift during the night to due east
}{shifting his weight from one foot to another
}However, shift also is used when a mere change in position is implied{shifted his quid of tobacco to the other side of his mouth before answering
}{decided to shift his desk into a better light
}Transfer (see also TRANSFER 2) commonly implies a change from hand to hand, or from one mode of conveyance to another, or from one depository to another; it is often used in a specific sense especially in the business of transportation{you will need to transfer to another train at Albany
}{there was no way in which he could transfer his own memories of European civilization into the Indian mind— Cather
}move n movement, *motion, locomotion, stir
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
