Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

intransitive

American  
[in-tran-si-tiv] / ɪnˈtræn sɪ tɪv /

adjective

  1. noting or having the quality of an intransitive verb.


intransitive British  
/ ɪnˈtrænsɪtɪv /

adjective

    1. denoting a verb when it does not require a direct object

    2. denoting a verb that customarily does not require a direct object

      "to faint" is an intransitive verb

    3. (as noun) a verb in either of these categories

  1. denoting an adjective or noun that does not require any particular noun phrase as a referent

  2. logic maths (of a relation) having the property that if it holds between one argument and a second, and between the second and a third, it must fail to hold between the first and the third

    "being the mother of" is an intransitive relation

"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 Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of intransitive

From the Latin word intrānsitīvus, dating back to 1605–15. See in- 3, transitive


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.

See Examples For:

Clever people have carefully constructed by hand all of the dice discussed above, but could they have just chosen dice numberings at random and had a decent shot at finding an intransitive set?

From Scientific American ● Sep. 19, 2023

Missing hyphens or incorrect capitalization, ambiguities about singular and plural nouns or transitive and intransitive verbs — no question is too insignificant.

From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2023

Missing hyphens or incorrect capitalization, ambiguities about singular and plural nouns or transitive and intransitive verbs - no question is too insignificant.

From Washington Times ● May 29, 2023

“To bald” may not be a common intransitive verb, but that has not prevented “balding” from entering the language as a participle.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 2, 2019

The second is into transitive, intransitive, and merely non-transitive relations, which are defined as follows.

From Our Knowledge of the External World as a Field for Scientific Method in Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com