action

[ ak-shuhn ]

/ ˈæk ʃən /

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See synonyms for action on Thesaurus.com

noun

the process or state of acting or of being active: The machine is not in action now.

something done or performed; act; deed.

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.

actions, habitual or usual acts; conduct: He is responsible for his actions.

energetic activity: a man of action.

an exertion of power or force: the action of wind upon a ship's sails.

effect or influence: the action of morphine.

Physiology. a change in organs, tissues, or cells leading to performance of a function, as in muscular contraction.

way or manner of moving: the action of a machine or of a horse.

the mechanism by which something is operated, as that of a gun or a piano.

a military encounter or engagement; battle, skirmish, or the like.

actual engagement in fighting an enemy; military or naval combat: He saw action in Vietnam.

Literature. the main subject or story, as distinguished from an incidental episode.

Theater.

an event or series of events that form part of a dramatic plot: the action of a scene.
one of the three unities.Compare unity (def. 8).

the gestures or deportment of an actor or speaker.

Fine Arts. the appearance of animation, movement, or emotion given to figures by their attitude, position, or expression.

Law.

a proceeding instituted by one party against another.
the right of bringing it.

Slang.

interesting or exciting activity, often of an illicit nature: He gave us some tips on where the action was.
gambling or the excitement of gambling: The casino usually offers plenty of action.
money bet in gambling, especially illegally.

Ecclesiastical.

a religious ceremony, especially a Eucharistic service.
the canon of the Mass.
those parts of a service of worship in which the congregation participates.

adjective

characterized by brisk or dynamic action: an action car; an action melodrama.

OTHER WORDS FOR action

1 movement, operation.

4 behavior.

12 brush, encounter, fight, skirmish.

15 plot.

See synonyms for action on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR action

1 rest, inactivity.

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QUIZ

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There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about action

in action,

performing or taking part in a characteristic act: The school baseball team is in action tonight.
working; functioning: His rescuing the child was bravery in action.

out of action, removed from action, as by sudden disability: The star halfback is out of action with a bad knee.

piece of the action, Informal. a share of the proceeds or profits: Cut me in for a piece of the action.

take action,

to start doing something: As soon as we get his decision, we'll take action.
to start a legal procedure.

Origin of action

First recorded in1300–50; from Latin āctiōn- (stem of āctiō ), equivalent to āct(us) (past participle) + -iōn- replacing Middle English accioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin ; see origin at act, -ion

synonym study for action

2. 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. 12. See battle¹.

historical usage of action

English action comes from Middle English accioun, action, one of whose common meanings is in the legal domain: “a proceeding instituted by one party against another, or the right to bring such a proceeding.” Another common meaning in Middle English is “something done, an act, a deed.” The Middle English noun comes partly from Anglo-French and Old French and partly from Latin āctiō (stem āctiōn- ). Āctiō is formed from āc-, the perfect participle stem of the verb agere, and the noun suffix -tiō, which is used to form abstract nouns from verbs (here expressing action). Latin agere has as many meanings as English do or make. The original meaning of agere was “to drive (cattle, horses, goats, beasts of burden), ride (a horse), drive (a chariot).”
Agere is from the same Proto-Indo-European root, ag- “to drive, lead, bring,” as Greek ágein “to lead, drive,” agōgós “a leader” (as in demagogue and pedagogue ). In Celtic, the participle aktos is the root of ambaktos, ambiaktos “one sent around, ambassador,” adopted from Gaulish into Latin as ambactus “servant, retainer.” Germanic adopted the Celtic word as ambachts “servant” in Gothic, ambacht in Old High German, and, much reduced, Amt “office, authority, post, duty” in German.

OTHER WORDS FROM action

ac·tion·less, adjectivenon·ac·tion, nounpre·ac·tion, nounpro·ac·tion, adjective

Words nearby action

actinopod, actinopterygian, actinotherapy, actinouranium, actinozoan, action, actionable, action at a distance, actioner, action figure, action grant

Other definitions for action (2 of 2)

ACTION

[ ak-shuhn ]

/ ˈæk ʃən /

noun U.S. Government.

an independent agency created in 1971 to administer domestic volunteer programs.

Origin of ACTION

Named by analogy with the acronymic names of other agencies, but itself not an acronym

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use action in a sentence

Rather, she advocated for affirmative action as a principle of equality of opportunity.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Forged A New Place For Women In The Law And Society|LGBTQ-Editor|September 23, 2020|No Straight News
That possibility represents the culmination of a decades-long plan of action by conservatives who specifically and deliberately targeted the nation’s courts.
How Presidents Have Shaped The US Supreme Court – And Why The Choice Of Its Next Justice Is So Crucial|LGBTQ-Editor|September 23, 2020|No Straight News
Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni called the actions of two Asbury Park officers a “textbook definition of a breach of the position of trust.”
How Criminal Cops Often Avoid Jail|by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press|September 23, 2020|ProPublica
Bernstein said Wyatt’s actions helped the other hackers remain anonymous and that his phone account was used to send threatening text messages to relatives of victims.
Hacker sentenced to 5 years for targeting U.S. companies|Verne Kopytoff|September 22, 2020|Fortune

Bank stocks had sharp losses Monday morning after a report alleged that several of them continue to profit from illicit dealings with criminal networks despite being previously fined for similar actions.
Dow plunges 800 points in brutal selloff|Lee Clifford|September 21, 2020|Fortune
While this deferred action is controversial in the United States, in Mexico, what Obama did is universally popular.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is where much of the action will be for anti-LGBT groups.
‘Only God’ Can Stop Gay Marriage|Tim Mak|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In 2008, Huckabee raised a little over $16 million, with less than $55,000 coming from political action committees.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The possibility that the same outcome could happen another way -- namely a guy asks me out -- keeps me from taking action.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating|Ellie Schaack|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But taking such action puts them at odds with the most powerful and best-organized segment of their coalition.
How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats|Daniel DiSalvo|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let the thought of self pass in, and the beauty of great action is gone, like the bloom from a soiled flower.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
He saw Gen. Braddock as he passed on to his defeat, and could give a succinct account of that sanguinary action.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The wisdom of a scribe cometh by his time of leisure: and he that is less in action, shall receive wisdom.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Words are often everywhere as the minute-hands of the soul, more important than even the hour-hands of action.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
The action was at first a little confusing to Edna, but she soon lent herself readily to the Creole's gentle caress.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for action

action

/ (ˈækʃən) /

noun

the state or process of doing something or being active; operation

something done, such as an act or deed

movement or posture during some physical activity

activity, force, or energya man of action

(usually plural) conduct or behaviour

law

a legal proceeding brought by one party against another, seeking redress of a wrong or recovery of what is due; lawsuit
the right to bring such a proceeding

the operating mechanism, esp in a piano, gun, watch, etc

(of a guitar) the distance between the strings and the fingerboard

(of keyboard instruments) the sensitivity of the keys to touch

the force applied to a bodythe reaction is equal and opposite to the action

the way in which something operates or works

out of action not functioning

physics

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
the product of work or energy and time, usually expressed in joule secondsPlanck's constant of action

the events that form the plot of a story, film, play, or other composition

military

a minor engagement
fighting at sea or on landhe saw action in the war

philosophy behaviour which is voluntary and explicable in terms of the agent's reasons, as contrasted with that which is coerced or determined causally

British short for industrial action

informal the profits of an enterprise or transaction (esp in the phrase a piece of the action)

slang the main activity, esp social activity

verb (tr)

to put into effect; take action concerningmatters decided at the meeting cannot be actioned until the following week

interjection

a command given by a film director to indicate that filming is to beginSee also cue 1 (def. 8)

Word Origin for action

C14: accioun, ultimately from Latin āctiōn-, stem of āctiō, from agere to do, act

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with action

action

In addition to the idioms beginning with action

actions speak louder than words

also see:

all talk and no action
piece of the action
swing into action

action

OTHER WORDS FOR action

OPPOSITES FOR action

Idioms about action

Origin of action

synonym study for action

historical usage of action

OTHER WORDS FROM action

Words nearby action

Other definitions for action (2 of 2)

Origin of ACTION

Words related to action

How to use action in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for action

Word Origin for action

Other Idioms and Phrases with action