English Explanatory Dictionary

action

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The effort of performing or doing something.
  2. Something done, often so as to accomplish a purpose.
  3. A way of motion or functioning.
  4. Fast-paced activity.
  5. The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm.
  6. The way in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism.
  7. A physical mechanism.
  8. 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.
  9. The distance separating the strings and the fingerboard on a string instrument.
  10. Sexual intercourse.
  11. Combat.
  12. A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio).
intj
  1. Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually a performance.
adj
  1. arrogant
verb
  1. To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.
  2. To initiate a legal action against someone.

Pronunciation

/ˈæk.ʃən/ /ˈæk.ʃn̩/ en-us-action.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-action.wav

Word forms

action actions action! more action most action actioning actioned

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Latin āctum Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin āctiō Old French aucionbor. Middle English accioun English action From Middle English accioun, accion, from Old French aucion, acciun, from Latin āctiō(n) (“act of doing or making”), from āct(us) + action suffix -iō(n), perfect passive participle of agere (“do, act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti. See also act, active. By surface analysis, act + -ion.

Synonyms

act action acting cocky deed doing aphrodisia carnal knowledge coitus coition commerce commixtion congress conjunction connection consummation conversation copulation coupling intercourse intimacy intimate relations intromission joining lovemaking lustmaking mating mounting pareunia penetration relations sex sexual congress sexual intercourse sexual relation sexual union swiving union the beast with two backs the birds and the bees boom-boom chesterfield rugby horizontal dancing horizontal hula horizontal jogging horizontal mambo horizontal refreshments horizontal slam dance how's your father love Netflix and chill physical love roll in the hay Ugandan affairs Ugandan discussions ass bang barney-mugging beef injection bonking

Antonyms

inaction omission cut

Related words

act agency agent deed

Derived words

actant actionable action adventure actional action doll actionee actioner actionfest action figure action film action-forcing action game action group action hero action hoe action house actionism actionist action item actionize actionless actionlet actionlike action man action movie actionness action noun action-packed action painter action painting action plan action point action potential action replay action research ActionScript action song action space action sport actions speak louder than words action star action stations action teaching action verb action word actiony actious after-action all talk and no action alternate action apefirmative action back action backaction bioaction bolt-action bolt action call to action capillary action cause of action chose in action
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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