action
noun
the process or state of acting or of being active.
action
1 American
[ak-shuhn]
/ ˈæk ʃən /
noun
actions
plural
-
the process or state of acting or of being active.
The machine is not in action now.
- Antonyms:
- inactivity, rest
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- behavior
-
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.
-
-
the gestures or deportment of an actor or speaker.
- Synonyms:
- plot
-
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
idioms
-
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, 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.
-
ACTION
2
American
[ak-shuhn]
/ ˈæk ʃən /
noun
U.S. Government.
action
British
/ 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 energy
a 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 body
the reaction is equal and opposite to the action
-
the way in which something operates or works
-
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 seconds
Planck'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 land
he 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
-
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
interjection
action
More Idioms
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing action
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Common Core Grade 6, List 1
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Common Core Grade 5, List 1
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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:
Paredes' red card was deleted on the system shortly afterwards and Fifa has confirmed to BBC Sport that no disciplinary action was taken at the time.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
She said the onus is on the landlords and owners of these commercial spaces to take action to protect rooftop AC units.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“We are taking action to accelerate our revenue growth and profitability, driving productivity across the company with AI and automation, and heavily investing in commercializing innovation at speed and scale,” Krishna said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Undeterred by the police action and intimidation, the CJP has vowed to press ahead until their demands are met.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The action gave him a chance to think about his father's question.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
The Veiled Prophet, full of meaning for the city, became the perfect target for ACTION.
From Slate ● Dec. 21, 2021
Later that year, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as the director of ACTION, a federal volunteer agency.
From Fox News ● 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
Here’s a tweet from Mandy Slutsker, policy and advocacy manager at ACTION, a global health coalition: “The DC Dept of Health under @MayorBowser told @HIPSDC they have ‘overextended their naloxone quota and cannot get more.’
From Washington Times ● May 14, 2018
ACTION: Girl feels for diary and flashlight under her pillow.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
"When the majority of fishermen become aware that their actions matter and choose to protect the species themselves," he said, "that is success."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
But unlike other aspects of the administration’s education actions, the new policy has relatively broad support, with some student advocates saying it should be tougher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The inflation tracker that exerts the biggest influence on the actions of the Federal Reserve is getting a makeover just as a divided central bank weighs whether to raise U.S. interest rates this fall.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Arokodare's actions led to new boss Cesar Peixoto terminating the session on Monday.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Hitler’s aggressive actions made war seemed almost inevitable, and battleships and submarines started patrolling the oceans and coastlines.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.