action

Plural: actions

Noun

• The process of doing something to achieve an aim.
• something done (usually as opposed to something said)
  • "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"
• the state of being active
  • "he is out of action"
• a military engagement
  • "he saw action in Korea"
• a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)
  • "the action of natural forces"
• the series of events that form a plot
  • "his novels always have a lot of action"
• the trait of being active and energetic and forceful
  • "a man of action"
• the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism
  • "the piano had a very stiff action"
• 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
• 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"
• 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"
• The effort of performing or doing something.
• Something done, often so as to accomplish a purpose.
• A way of motion or functioning.
• Fast-paced activity.
• The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm.
• The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm.
• The way in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism.
• 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.
• The distance separating the strings and the fingerboard on a string instrument.
• Sexual intercourse.
• Combat.
• A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio).
• A way in which each element of some algebraic structure transforms some other structure or set, in a way which respects the structure of the first. Formally, this may be seen as a morphism from the first structure into some structure of endomorphisms of the second; for example, a group action of a group G on a set S can be seen as a group homomorphism from G into the set of bijections on S (which form a group under function composition), while a module M over a ring R can be defined as an abelian group together with a ring homomorphism from R into the ring of group endomorphisms of M (which is also called the action of R on M).
• The product of energy and time, especially the product of the Lagrangian and time.
• 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.
• The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted.
• spin put on the bowling ball.
• A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds.
• A religious performance or solemn function, i.e. action sermon, a sacramental sermon in the Scots Presbyterian Church.
• A process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings).
• Purposeful behavior.
• A demonstration by activists.

Verb

• institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
  • "She actioned the company for discrimination"
• put in effect
  • "He actioned the operation"
• To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.
• To initiate a legal action against someone.

Intj

• Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually a performance.

Adj

• arrogant

Examples

• a movie full of exciting action
• He saw some action in the Korean War.
• I hope to get a bit of action with the hot guy from the club.
• It’s your turn, the action is on you to find a winning word.
• Knead bread with a rocking action.
• Pressing a piano key causes the action of the hammer on the string.
• pump-action shotgun
• She gave him some action.
• The director yelled ‘Action!’ after the cameras started rolling.
• The run in bar 12 is almost impossible with this piano's heavy action.
• You're getting fret buzz because the action is too low.

Synonyms

accomplish, action at law, action mechanism, activeness, activity, carry out, carry through, execute, fulfil, fulfill, legal action, litigate, military action, natural action, natural process, process, sue, act, acting, action, cocky, deed, doing

Antonyms

inaction, inactiveness, inactivity, cut, omission

Related Words

act, agency, agent, deed

Anagrams of action