Ovarian cancer, particularly high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HG-SOC), is still the main cause of death among gynecological malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms related to its malignant biological behavior are still unclear. Recent studies indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in tumor metastasis. Here, we report that miR-1236-3p expression was downregulated in HG-SOC when compared to that in normal fallopian tube tissue. Manipulation of miR-1236-3p significantly influenced the morphology, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cell lines (A2780 and SKOV3). With dual-luciferase reporter assay, we demonstrated that miR‑1236-3p binds to the 3'UTR of zinc-finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) mRNA, and functions as a negative regulator of ZEB1. Furthermore, we revealed that manipulation of miR-1236-3p modulates ZEB1 expression and influences expression of its downstream genes E-cadherin and N-cadherin at both the mRNA and protein levels. We also found an inverse relationship between miR‑1236-3p and ZEB1 expression in the HG-SOC tissue samples. Taken together, our results indicate that miR-1236-3p regulates ovarian cancer metastasis by directly targeting ZEB1, and it may play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.