Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related deaths worldwide. Epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a major event that drives cancer progression. Here we aim to investigate the role of microRNA, miR‐145, in regulating EMT of the highly invasive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that miR‐145 was downregulated in cancer tissue compared with that in adjacent normal tissue. NSCLC cell lines, namely H1299, PC7, and SPCA‐1, also demonstrated miR‐145 downregulation, which is correlated well with their invasive ability, assessed by the Matrigel invasion assay. miR‐145 overexpression resulted in downregulation of N‐cadherin, and downregulation of vimentin and E‐cadherin, suggesting a decreased EMT activity. TargetScan analysis predicted that a binding site exists between miR‐145 and an oncogene, ZEB2, which was verified using the dual‐luciferase assay. Alteration of miR‐145 expression also induced inverse effects on ZEB2 expression, and a negative correlation exists between ZEB2 and miR‐145 in human tissues. ZEB2 and miR‐145 also exerted antagonizing effects on the invasion of NSCLC cells. Therefore, miR‐145 is an important molecule in NSCLC that regulates cancer EMT through targeting ZEB2.