action verb

noun

grammar
: a verb that expresses action
"Drive" in "We often drive past their house" and "think" in "Let's think about the problem" are both action verbs.

Examples of action verb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
So, your calls to action should start with an action verb! Expert Panel®, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 Each line of a headline should be able to stand alone as a single thought, meaning any line other than the final one should generally end with a noun or an action verb. Sarah Bahr, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023 And Christiana Figueres, the former U.N. climate secretary who helped forge the 2015 Paris agreement and then started a non-profit called Climate Optimism, sees hope not as a noun but an action verb. Seth Borenstein, ajc, 19 Nov. 2022

Dictionary Entries Near action verb

Cite this Entry

“Action verb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/action%20verb. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

action verb

noun
: a verb that expresses action
"lingered" in "they lingered over dinner" and "bring" in "bring me the broom" are action verbs
compare linking verb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!