Definitions for action
ˈæk ʃənac·tion

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

1. actionnoun

   something done (usually as opposed to something said)

   "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"

2. action, activity, activenessnoun

   the state of being active

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

3. military action, actionnoun

   a military engagement

   "he saw action in Korea"

4. natural process, natural action, action, activitynoun

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

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

5. actionnoun

   the series of events that form a plot

   "his novels always have a lot of action"

6. actionnoun

   the trait of being active and energetic and forceful

   "a man of action"

7. action, action mechanismnoun

   the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism

   "the piano had a very stiff action"

8. legal action, action, action at lawnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionverb

    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, processverb

    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, fulfilverb

    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. actionnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionnoun

   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. actionverb

    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. actionverb

    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. actionnoun

    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. actioninterjection

    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. Actionnoun

   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. Actionnoun

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

3. Actionnoun

   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. Actionnoun

   movement; as, the horse has a spirited action

5. Actionnoun

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

6. Actionnoun

   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. Actionnoun

   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. Actionnoun

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

9. Actionnoun

   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. Actionnoun

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

11. Actionnoun

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

12. Actionnoun

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

13. Actionnoun

    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.

Matched Categories

1. • Act
   • Challenge
   • Complete
   • Drive
   • Effect
   • Group Action
   • Mechanism
   • Military
   • Plot
   • Process
   • State

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. Matthew Wise:

   If I go home and I think that there's something I should tell to my mom or my wife about not eating, then that should be in the public domain at that point, we do tend to communicate when we have identified a product with enough specificity that would allow someone to be able to take an action.

2. Ahmed Moosa:

   The late Mr. Archie Augustine (a Roman Catholic) from Estcourt, Kwa Zulu Natal put it beautifully when he said the following about the Qur’an: “Despite your religious or non-religious attitudes, the Holy Qur’aan is a boon to your intellectual and moral strength. Even if you are not concerned with moral issues, then pamper your intellectual curiosity and read the Qur’aan. The greater the level of your education, in any field, or the greater your social or political standing in your community, the more reason why you should procure your own copy of the Book and begin to read it”. “Nothing, but nothing, is left ambiguous or unanswered. It is a Book of Law interwoven in morality till it touches every facet of the human experience. It includes politics, economics, moral behaviour, personal cleanliness and propriety, inter-family relationships, bequests and inheritance, inter-religious respect and tolerance, charity, the sin of taking and of giving commercial interest, the importance of prayer, the belief in ONE GOD, religious-sociology and oneness of humankind. Bring any manner or word, concept or subject matter to mind and you will find, not only a reference to such a matter, but a treatise, succinctly and poignantly illustrating, advising, illuminating and directing”. A POEM ON THE HOLY QURAN WRITTEN SOME 35 YEARS AGO BY THE NINTH PRESIDENT OF INDIA, DR. PANDIT SHANKER DAYAL SHARMA: (IT WAS A COMMAND FOR ACTION. YOU TURNED IT INTO A BOOK OF PRAYER.) (IT WAS A BOOK TO UNDERSTAND. YOU READ IT WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING.) (IT WAS A CODE FOR THE LIVING. YOU TURNED IT INTO A MANIFESTO OF THE DEAD.) (THAT WHICH WAS A BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE; YOU ABDICATED TO THE IGNORAMUS). (IT CAME TO GIVE KNOWLEDGE OF CREATION. YOU ABANDONED IT TO THE MADRASA.) (IT CAME TO GIVE LIFE TO DEAD NATIONS. YOU USED IT FOR SEEKING MERCY FOR THE DEAD.) (O’ MUSLIMS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?)

3. Enrique Morones:

   We don’t want prayers and, ‘Oh, we’re sorry.’ We want action.

4. Penn State Kraschnewski:

   Studies tell us that the vast majority of people who are overweight are interested in losing weight, but interest doesn't necessarily translate to action.

5. Earl Ofari Hutchinson:

   Farrakhan had long since slipped from the national dialogue over race, racism, and civil rights issues, not to mention action on these issues, the CBC and other civil rights organizations have long been critical of what they see as his insular, narrow, racially inflammatory remarks and approach to the racial issue.

Images & Illustrations of action

Popularity rank by frequency of use