Definitions for action
ˈæk ʃənac·tion

Princeton's WordNet(3.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. action(noun)

   something done (usually as opposed to something said)

   "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"

2. action, activity, activeness(noun)

   the state of being active

   "his sphere of activity"; "he is out of action"

3. military action, action(noun)

   a military engagement

   "he saw action in Korea"

4. natural process, natural action, action, activity(noun)

   a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)

   "the action of natural forces"; "volcanic activity"

5. action(noun)

   the series of events that form a plot

   "his novels always have a lot of action"

6. action(noun)

   the trait of being active and energetic and forceful

   "a man of action"

7. action, action mechanism(noun)

   the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism

   "the piano had a very stiff action"

8. legal action, action, action at law(noun)

   a judicial proceeding brought by one party against another; one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or for prevention of a wrong

9. action(noun)

   an act by a government body or supranational organization

   "recent federal action undermined the segregationist position"; "the United Nations must have the power to propose and organize action without being hobbled by irrelevant issues"; "the Union action of emancipating Southern slaves"

10. action(verb)

    the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field

    "the action is no longer in technology stocks but in municipal bonds"; "gawkers always try to get as close to the action as possible"

11. action, sue, litigate, process(verb)

    institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against

    "He was warned that the district attorney would process him"; "She actioned the company for discrimination"

12. carry through, accomplish, execute, carry out, action, fulfill, fulfil(verb)

    put in effect

    "carry out a task"; "execute the decision of the people"; "He actioned the operation"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. action(Noun)

   Something done so as to accomplish a purpose.

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

2. action(Noun)

   A way of motion or functioning.

   Knead bread with a rocking action.

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

3. action(Noun)

   A fast-paced activity.

   an action movie

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

4. action(Noun)

   A mechanism; a moving part or assembly.

   a rifle action

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

5. action(Noun)

   The mechanism, that is the set of moving mechanical parts, of a keyboard instrument, like a piano, which transfers the motion of the key to the sound-making device.

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

6. action(Noun)

   sexual intercourse.

   She gave him some action.

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

7. action(Noun)

   The distance separating the strings and the fretboard on the guitar.

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

8. action(Noun)

   Combat.

   He saw some action in the Korean War.

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

9. action(Noun)

   A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio).

   Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

10. action(Verb)

    To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.

    Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

11. action(Verb)

    To initiate a legal action against someone.

    Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

12. action(Noun)

    A homomorphism from a group to a group of automorphisms.

    One of the earliest uses of groups, according to lore, was the study of the action of uE00013481uE001 on the equilateral triangle.

    Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

13. action(Interjection)

    Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually an act or scene of a theatric performance.

    The director yelled u2018Action!' before the camera started rolling.

    Etymology: From accion, from action, from actio, from actus, perfect passive participle of ago, + action suffix -io; see act.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Action(noun)

   a process or condition of acting or moving, as opposed to rest; the doing of something; exertion of power or force, as when one body acts on another; the effect of power exerted on one body by another; agency; activity; operation; as, the action of heat; a man of action

2. Action(noun)

   an act; a thing done; a deed; an enterprise. (pl.): Habitual deeds; hence, conduct; behavior; demeanor

3. Action(noun)

   the event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events

4. Action(noun)

   movement; as, the horse has a spirited action

5. Action(noun)

   effective motion; also, mechanism; as, the breech action of a gun

6. Action(noun)

   any one of the active processes going on in an organism; the performance of a function; as, the action of the heart, the muscles, or the gastric juice

7. Action(noun)

   gesticulation; the external deportment of the speaker, or the suiting of his attitude, voice, gestures, and countenance, to the subject, or to the feelings

8. Action(noun)

   the attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted

9. Action(noun)

   a suit or process, by which a demand is made of a right in a court of justice; in a broad sense, a judicial proceeding for the enforcement or protection of a right, the redress or prevention of a wrong, or the punishment of a public offense

10. Action(noun)

    a right of action; as, the law gives an action for every claim

11. Action(noun)

    a share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds; hence, in the plural, equivalent to stocks

12. Action(noun)

    an engagement between troops in war, whether on land or water; a battle; a fight; as, a general action, a partial action

13. Action(noun)

    the mechanical contrivance by means of which the impulse of the player's finger is transmitted to the strings of a pianoforte or to the valve of an organ pipe

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ACTION

   ACTION is a public bus service operating in Canberra, ACT, Australia. It is a division of the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate of the ACT Government. The Minister responsible for TAMS is Shane Rattenbury MLA and the Director of ACTION is James Roncon. Its name was derived as an acronym of Australian Capital Territory Internal Omnibus Network, but it is now officially known as ACTION. Other bus services in Canberra are operated by Deane's Transit Group and Royale Limousines. There are no other modes of public transport operating within the ACT.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Action

   ak′shun, n. a state of acting: activity in the abstract: a deed: operation: gesture: a battle: a lawsuit, or proceedings in a court: the movement of events in a drama, novel, &c.—adj. Ac′tionable, liable to a lawsuit.—n. Ac′tion-tak′ing (Shak.), resenting an injury by a lawsuit instead of fighting it out like a man of honour.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. action

   Synonymous with battle. Also a term in mechanics for the effort which one body exerts against another, or the effects resulting therefrom.--Action and reaction, the mutual, successive, contrary impulses of two bodies.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. action

   An engagement between two armies, or bodies of troops. The word is likewise used to signify some memorable act done by an officer, soldier, detachment, or party.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. action

   The process of to act or do.

   They took action as it was vital to ensure the house was warm and cosy for the family.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 19, 2020  

2. action

   To act, do or contribute to a plan, project, purpose or task.

   They took action immediately to ensure that they had everything they needed for their family gathering.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 19, 2020  

Suggested Resources(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. action

   Song lyrics by action -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by action on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'action' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #404

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'action' in Written Corpus Frequency: #904

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'action' in Nouns Frequency: #104

Anagrams for action »

1. atonic, cation

2. Atonic

3. Cation

How to pronounce action?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say action in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of action in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of action in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of action in a Sentence

1. Brian Quintana:

   “Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising, which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”

2. Acting NHTSA Administrator James Owens:

   This will be a big deal because this will be the first such action that will be taken.

3. Junichiro Koizumi:

   The international community sees Japan as not moving an inch on this, so whether we take action or not will mean a lot.

4. Lauren Davenport:

   Racial identification is significant for the implementation of affirmative action, the drawing of legislative districts, and the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in employment, education and housing.

5. Martin King:

   The BOJ's announcement to expand easing came as no surprise. (BOJ Governor Haruhiko) Kuroda has been under tremendous pressure from the Abe administration to roll out further stimulus alongside Abe's 28 trillion yen fiscal package earlier this week, a seemingly invincible yen continues to undermine the efficacy of Abe's measures and decisive action at the BOJ is timely.

Images & Illustrations of action

Popularity rank by frequency of use