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intransitive verb
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noun
a verb that indicates a complete action without being accompanied by a direct object, as sit or lie, and, in English, that does not form a passive.
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QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of intransitive verb
First recorded in 1605–15
Words nearby intransitive verb
intranet, intrans., intransigence, intransigent, intransitive, intransitive verb, in transitu, intrant, intranuclear, intraocular, intraocular lens
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use intransitive verb in a sentence
Cultural definitions for intransitive verb
intransitive verb
A verb that does not need a direct object to complete its meaning. Run, sleep, travel, wonder, and die are all intransitive verbs. (Compare transitive verb.)
notes for intransitive verb
Some verbs can be intransitive in one sentence and transitive in another. Boiled is intransitive in “My blood boiled” but transitive in “I boiled some water.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.