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• action
  action

  noun

  the process or state of acting or of being active.
• ACTION
  ACTION

  noun

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

action

¹ American  

[ak-shuhn] / ˈæk ʃən /

noun

actions plural

1. the process or state of acting or of being active.

   The machine is not in action now.

   Synonyms:

   operation, movement

   Antonyms:

   inactivity, rest

2. something done or performed; act; deed.

3. 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.

4. actions, habitual or usual acts; conduct.

   He is responsible for his actions.

   Synonyms:

   behavior

5. energetic activity.

   a man of action.

6. an exertion of power or force.

   the action of wind upon a ship's sails.

7. effect or influence.

   the action of morphine.

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

9. way or manner of moving.

   the action of a machine or of a horse.

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

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

12. actual engagement in fighting an enemy; military or naval combat.

    He saw action in Vietnam.

    Synonyms:

    skirmish, fight, encounter, brush

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

14. Theater.

    1. an event or series of events that form part of a dramatic plot.

       the action of a scene.

    2. one of the three unities.

15. the gestures or deportment of an actor or speaker.

    Synonyms:

    plot

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

17. Law.

    1. a proceeding instituted by one party against another.

    2. the right of bringing it.

18. Slang.

    1. interesting or exciting activity, often of an illicit nature.

       He gave us some tips on where the action was.

    2. gambling or the excitement of gambling.

       The casino usually offers plenty of action.

    3. money bet in gambling, especially illegally.

19. Ecclesiastical.

    1. a religious ceremony, especially a Eucharistic service.

    2. the canon of the Mass.

    3. those parts of a service of worship in which the congregation participates.

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adjective

1. characterized by brisk or dynamic action.

   an action car; an action melodrama.

idioms

1. in action,

   1. performing or taking part in a characteristic act.

      The school baseball team is in action tonight.

   2. working; functioning.

      His rescuing the child was bravery in action.

2. out of action, removed from action, as by sudden disability.

   The star halfback is out of action with a bad knee.

3. piece of the action, a share of the proceeds or profits.

   Cut me in for a piece of the action.

4. take action,

   1. to start doing something.

      As soon as we get his decision, we'll take action.

   2. to start a legal procedure.

ACTION ² American  

[ak-shuhn] / ˈæk ʃən /

noun

U.S. Government.

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

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action British  

/ ˈækʃən /

noun

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

2. something done, such as an act or deed

3. movement or posture during some physical activity

4. activity, force, or energy

   a man of action

5. (usually plural) conduct or behaviour

6. law

   1. a legal proceeding brought by one party against another, seeking redress of a wrong or recovery of what is due; lawsuit

   2. the right to bring such a proceeding

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

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

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

10. the force applied to a body

    the reaction is equal and opposite to the action

11. the way in which something operates or works

12. not functioning

13. physics

    1. 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

    2. the product of work or energy and time, usually expressed in joule seconds

       Planck's constant of action

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

15. military

    1. a minor engagement

    2. fighting at sea or on land

       he saw action in the war

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

17. short for industrial action

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

19. slang the main activity, esp social activity

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verb

1. to put into effect; take action concerning

   matters decided at the meeting cannot be actioned until the following week

interjection

1. a command given by a film director to indicate that filming is to begin See also cue 1

action More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing action

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

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Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• nonaction
  noun
• preaction
  noun
• actionless
  adjective
• proaction
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• actions
  plural

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 ; see origin at act, -ion

Origin of ACTION²

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

Explanation

An action is a thing that is done, and not merely thought or spoken about. Possible actions could range from blinking to invading a country. Action comes from agere, the Latin verb meaning "to do." Legal action is the initiation of a lawsuit to demand your rights. In war, a soldier working in the kitchen is on cooking duty, while the soldier on the frontline sees a lot of action. Action movies are so called because they are full of fast-paced sequences. If you are sitting on your couch, mulling over your lack of exercise, maybe it's time to take action.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

action ACTION actions

"When people are under more financial pressure, they may have less time, energy, or willingness to engage in collective action or support policies that are perceived to have economic costs," he says.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

At various points, sociologists proposed and critiqued affirmative action, inspired and lambasted welfare reform, diagnosed and dismissed the breakdown of the nuclear family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

In regards to enforcement, they have said they will get in touch with customers who repeatedly do not follow the rules and may take further action if customers ignore the ban.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

RE100, an initiative of the UK-based nonprofit Climate Group, aims to spur corporate climate action, and counts Apple, Google and Microsoft among its 444 members.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

A young boy stood by the side to explain the action and show with a pointer the different figures that were coming on stage.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

In the 1970s, they faced protests from civil-rights groups like ACTION, which managed to infiltrate the ball in 1972 and unmask that year’s “veiled prophet,” who turned out to be a vice president of Monsanto.

From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2021

Later that year, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as the director of ACTION, a federal volunteer agency.

From Fox News ● Jul. 18, 2020

President Jimmy Carter appointed Lewis to lead ACTION, a federal volunteer agency, in 1977.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 18, 2020

Early in his career, he worked for the Commerce and Transportation departments and ACTION, a federal umbrella organization for volunteer programs.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 6, 2018

ACTION: Girl feels for diary and flashlight under her pillow.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

Australians who reported taking more personal environmental actions were generally more politically involved.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

Inspectors are monitoring corrective actions and conducting regular inspections for compliance, according to the public health department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

The Jonesboro Police Department, in the state of Arkansas, shared the moment captured on traffic camera footage, thanking Hellenthal for his actions.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Even so, trade experts point out that there are a number of other tariff actions planned in the coming months that could further raise costs for businesses and consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Its purpose was to show the Glitcher what their actions could cause in the future.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

• activity
• deal
• force
• life
• movement
• operation
• plan
• process
• reaction
• response