VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

momentum

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/məˈmentəm/
US/moʊˈmentəm/

Meanings

  1. noununcountablefigurative

    The speed and strength that an event, campaign, or movement gains as it develops, making it easier to keep going.

    Grammar: Uncountable: gain momentum, not a momentum.

    Patterns

    • gain momentum
    • lose momentum
    • build momentum

    The campaign gained momentum after the first debate.

    We lost momentum when the lead developer left.

    A string of wins built momentum for the young team.

  2. noununcountablephysicstechnical

    In physics, the amount of motion an object has, found by multiplying its mass by its velocity.

    Grammar: Used as a precise scientific term.

    Patterns

    • the momentum of something

    A heavy truck has more momentum than a bicycle moving at the same speed.

    The momentum of the two balls was conserved in the collision.

    Students calculated the momentum of a rolling cart.

Word forms

pluralmomenta

Common combinations

gain momentum
The idea slowly gained momentum online.
lose momentum
The reform effort lost momentum after the election.
build momentum
Early successes helped the company build momentum.
keep up the momentum
Let's keep up the momentum and finish today.
angular momentum
A spinning skater keeps her angular momentum when she pulls her arms in.

Synonyms and how they differ

impetus
Impetus is the push that starts or drives something, while momentum is the force it already has once moving.
drive
Drive describes a person's inner energy, whereas momentum describes how a process builds speed.
steam
Steam is an informal word for gathered energy, usually in the phrase gather steam, and is less formal than momentum.
inertia
Inertia means a tendency to stay as things are, whether still or moving, while momentum is about continued motion.

Opposites

stagnationinertia

Word family

momentous adjective
of great importance, though not related to momentum in meaning
moment noun
a short time, from the same Latin root meaning movement
momentary adjective
lasting a very short time

Commonly confused: momentum or moment? momentum or momentous?

momentum vs moment

A moment is a short time; momentum is built-up motion or progress.

momentum vs momentous

Momentous means very important, not gaining speed.

Practice

After the team's third straight win, there was a feeling that they had real ___ going into the final.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “momentum”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words