Abstract: Objective:To analyze the correlation of miR- 625 expression with clinicopathological characteristics in esophageal squa -mous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to explore the effect of miR-625 on the migration and proliferation of ESCC cells. Methods:The expres-sion level of miR-625 was determined through real-time PCR in86paired human ESCC tissue specimens and tumor-adjacent normal esophageal tissue specimens, ESCC cell lines, and esophageal epithelial cell line. The associations of miR-625 expression with clinico-pathological characteristics and survival in ESCC patients were analyzed. Transwell and CCK- 8 assays were performed to examine the effect of miR- 625 expression on migration and proliferation of ESCC cells. Results:Compared with tumor-adjacent normal specimens, miR- 625 was significantly downregulated in ESCC tissue specimens ( P<0. 05). MiR- 625 expression was decreased in ESCC cell lines com -pared with human esophageal epithelial cell lines ( P<0. 05). Lower miR- 625 expression was associated with poorer prognosis and sur-vival. The migration and proliferation abilities of ESCC cells were inhibited by miR- 625 overexpression ( P<0. 05). Conclusion: MiR- 625 acts as a tumor suppressor gene in the development and progression of ESCC, suggesting that miR- 625 may serve as an efficient prog-nosis biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for ESCC.