action
1 Americannoun
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the process or state of acting or of being active.
The machine is not in action now.
- Antonyms:
- inactivity, rest
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something done or performed; act; deed.
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an act that one consciously wills and that may be characterized by physical or mental activity.
a crisis that demands action instead of debate; hoping for constructive action by the landlord.
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actions, habitual or usual acts; conduct.
He is responsible for his actions.
- Synonyms:
- behavior
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energetic activity.
a man of action.
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an exertion of power or force.
the action of wind upon a ship's sails.
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effect or influence.
the action of morphine.
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Physiology. a change in organs, tissues, or cells leading to performance of a function, as in muscular contraction.
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way or manner of moving.
the action of a machine or of a horse.
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the mechanism by which something is operated, as that of a gun or a piano.
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a military encounter or engagement; battle, skirmish, or the like.
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actual engagement in fighting an enemy; military or naval combat.
He saw action in Vietnam.
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Literature. the main subject or story, as distinguished from an incidental episode.
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Theater.
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an event or series of events that form part of a dramatic plot.
the action of a scene.
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one of the three unities.
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the gestures or deportment of an actor or speaker.
- Synonyms:
- plot
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Fine Arts. the appearance of animation, movement, or emotion given to figures by their attitude, position, or expression.
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Law.
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a proceeding instituted by one party against another.
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the right of bringing it.
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Slang.
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interesting or exciting activity, often of an illicit nature.
He gave us some tips on where the action was.
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gambling or the excitement of gambling.
The casino usually offers plenty of action.
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money bet in gambling, especially illegally.
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Ecclesiastical.
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a religious ceremony, especially a Eucharistic service.
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the canon of the Mass.
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those parts of a service of worship in which the congregation participates.
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adjective
idioms
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in action,
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performing or taking part in a characteristic act.
The school baseball team is in action tonight.
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working; functioning.
His rescuing the child was bravery in action.
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out of action, removed from action, as by sudden disability.
The star halfback is out of action with a bad knee.
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piece of the action, a share of the proceeds or profits.
Cut me in for a piece of the action.
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take action,
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to start doing something.
As soon as we get his decision, we'll take action.
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to start a legal procedure.
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noun
noun
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the state or process of doing something or being active; operation
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something done, such as an act or deed
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movement or posture during some physical activity
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activity, force, or energy
a man of action
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(usually plural) conduct or behaviour
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law
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a legal proceeding brought by one party against another, seeking redress of a wrong or recovery of what is due; lawsuit
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the right to bring such a proceeding
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the operating mechanism, esp in a piano, gun, watch, etc
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(of a guitar) the distance between the strings and the fingerboard
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(of keyboard instruments) the sensitivity of the keys to touch
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the force applied to a body
the reaction is equal and opposite to the action
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the way in which something operates or works
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not functioning
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physics
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a property of a system expressed as twice the mean kinetic energy of the system over a given time interval multiplied by the time interval
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the product of work or energy and time, usually expressed in joule seconds
Planck's constant of action
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the events that form the plot of a story, film, play, or other composition
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military
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a minor engagement
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fighting at sea or on land
he saw action in the war
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philosophy behaviour which is voluntary and explicable in terms of the agent's reasons, as contrasted with that which is coerced or determined causally
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short for industrial action
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informal the profits of an enterprise or transaction (esp in the phrase a piece of the action )
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slang the main activity, esp social activity
verb
interjection
Related Words
Action, act, deed mean something done. Action applies especially to the doing, act to the result of the doing. An action usually lasts through some time and consists of more than one act: to take action on a petition. An act is single: an act of kindness. Deed emphasizes the finished or completed quality of an act; it may imply an act of some note, good or bad: an irrevocable deed; a deed of daring. See battle 1.
Other Word Forms
- actionless adjective
- nonaction noun
- preaction noun
- proaction adjective
Etymology
Origin of action1
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin āctiōn- (stem of āctiō ), equivalent to āct(us) (past participle) + -iōn- replacing Middle English accioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin ; act, -ion
Origin of ACTION1
Named by analogy with the acronymic names of other agencies, but itself not an acronym
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Any such ambition raises the potential for quick actions to become quagmires.
From Los Angeles Times
Cynthia Zimmer is also the aunt of Scrivner, and before recusing herself from the case, she played a key role in alerting law enforcement to his actions.
From Los Angeles Times
When we defend democracy, we are taking moral action.
From Salon
Any resumption of assistance would depend on the Somali government "taking accountability for its unacceptable actions and taking appropriate remedial steps", it said.
From BBC
She warned there were "people dying as a direct consequence" of the situation and called for immediate action to address the pressure.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
