commove: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very rare/Literary/ArchaicLiterary, formal, archaic
Quick answer
What does “commove” mean?
To stir up or agitate deeply.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To stir up or agitate deeply; to cause strong mental or emotional disturbance.
To move or stir physically in a violent or agitated manner (archaic). To excite public feeling or political agitation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Equally rare and archaic in both varieties, with no significant dialectal variation in meaning.
Connotations
In both varieties, connotes a bygone literary or formal style.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both corpora; might be encountered in historical texts or poetry.
Grammar
How to Use “commove” in a Sentence
[Subject] commoves [Object] (the crowd, feelings)[Object] is commoved by [Agent]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “commove” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The inflammatory pamphlet was designed to commove the populace against the crown.
- The tragic news commoved him to profound sorrow.
American English
- The rabble-rousing speech commoved the crowd to violence.
- Such injustice was enough to commove even the most apathetic observer.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Rarely used, perhaps in literary analysis or historical studies describing past events.
Everyday
Not used.
Technical
Not used in any modern technical field.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “commove”
- Using it in modern, casual contexts. Using it to mean simply 'move' in a physical sense without the emotional/agitative component.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is extremely rare and considered archaic or literary. You are unlikely to encounter it outside of older texts or highly stylised writing.
Meaning is very similar, but 'commove' is far less common and carries a more formal, intense, and often historical or emotional connotation.
Rarely. While it can mean to stir deeply, it almost always implies agitation, disturbance, or excitement of a turbulent nature, not calm or joyful inspiration.
The related noun is 'commotion', which is the common modern word for a state of noisy disturbance or confusion.
To stir up or agitate deeply.
Commove is usually literary, formal, archaic in register.
Commove: in British English it is pronounced /kəˈmuːv/, and in American English it is pronounced /kəˈmuːv/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of COM (together/with intensity) + MOVE (to stir). It's a more intense, archaic way to say something 'moves people strongly together' into agitation.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTION IS A FLUID IN A CONTAINER (The orator commoved the crowd = stirred up the fluid of public sentiment).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following best captures the meaning of 'commove'?