action
24 ENTRIES FOUND:
- action (noun)
- action–packed (adjective)
- action figure (noun)
- action replay (noun)
- action verb (noun)
- affirmative action (noun)
- class action (noun)
- industrial action (noun)
- job action (noun)
- live action (noun)
- play–action pass (noun)
- political action committee (noun)
- stop–action (noun)
- call (verb)
- loud (adjective)
- man (noun)
- missing (adjective)
- mouth (noun)
- slice (noun)
- speak (verb)
- spring (verb)
- take (verb)
- woman (noun)
- word (noun)
plural
actions
plural
actions
Britannica Dictionary definition of ACTION
1
[count]
:
something that a person or group does
— often used with take
-
As its first official action [=act], the committee elected Ms. Jones as its president.
-
He was critical of the government's actions before the war.
-
a military action against another country
-
criminal/illegal actions
-
She tried to explain/defend/justify her actions.
-
I accept full responsibility for my actions.
-
The school has been asked to take certain actions to fix the problem.
-
This is just one of the many actions that they could have taken.
◊ The saying actions speak louder than words means that the things that you do are more important than the things that you say.
-
They say they want peace, but actions speak louder than words.
2
[noncount]
:
things done to achieve a particular purpose
— often used with take
—
see also affirmative action, political action committee
-
The situation demanded immediate action.
-
The problem may require military action.
-
The school took disciplinary action against the drunken students.
-
They decided that no further action was necessary.
-
We need to agree on a plan of action. [=need to agree on what we will be doing]
-
What's the best course of action? [=what's the best way to proceed?]
-
The protesters criticized the administration's lack of action [=inaction] on many issues.
-
We were ready to take action. [=to do something]
-
Because the company failed to take action [=failed to act], many people were hurt.
-
The company took no action.
-
The police are now taking appropriate action.
-
She's all talk and no action. [=she says that she will do things, but she does not do them]
◊ A man of action or woman of action is a man or woman who works in an active way to do things.
-
He was a scholar and thinker but was also a man of action.
3
[noncount]
:
fighting that happens in a war
—
see also in action (below)
-
His unit first saw action [=fought in a battle] on June 20th.
-
soldiers who were killed or wounded in action [=in battle]
-
soldiers who are missing in action [=soldiers who cannot be found after a battle and might have been killed, captured, or wounded]
4
the action
:
the most exciting or interesting activities that are happening in a particular place
-
The new theater places the audience closer to the center/middle of the action.
-
I moved to New York City to be (a) part of the action.
-
Downtown is where the action is. [=downtown is a very active and exciting place]
5
[noncount]
a
informal
:
a chance or opportunity to make money
-
Do any of you guys want to get in on the action? [=participate in a plan to make money]
◊ A piece of the action or (chiefly US) a cut of the action or (chiefly Brit) a slice of the action is a portion or share of the money that can be earned from something.
-
He saw that his friends were making money illegally, and he wanted to get a piece of the action.
b
slang, sometimes offensive
:
sexual activity
-
I met a girl who was ready for some action.
6
[noncount]
:
the events that happen in a story, movie, etc.
-
Most of the play's action takes place in a restaurant.
-
the action [=plot] of the novel
7
[noncount]
:
events that happen quickly and that cause feelings of danger and excitement
— often used before another noun
—
see also live action
-
The movie is two hours of nonstop action. [=excitement]
-
We went out looking for action.
-
That's when the action really starts.
-
action movies
-
the film's final action sequence
8
— used as a director's command to start filming part of a movie or television show
-
Lights, camera, action!
9
law
:
the process of having a court of law make a decision about an argument
—
see also class action
[count]
-
The court dismissed the action. [=case, lawsuit]
-
She brought/filed an action against the company for damages.
-
civil actions [=lawsuits about a person's rights]
[noncount]
-
They are threatening/considering legal action.
-
bringing/taking action against companies for damages
10
[noncount]
:
a process in which one thing causes a change in another thing
-
the action [=effect] of certain chemicals on the brain
-
The medicine blocks the action of these proteins. [=it stops the proteins from working]
-
The cave was formed by the action of an underground river.
11
:
the way that something works or moves
[noncount]
-
Food is swallowed by the action of the tongue.
-
the action of the heart
-
the mechanical action of a pulley
-
the drill's twisting action
-
a single-action revolver
[singular]
-
The gears meshed with a smooth action.
in action
:
in the act of doing something
:
performing a usual job or function
—
see also action 3 (above)
-
We came to the court to see our country's judicial system in action. [=at work]
-
The fans have come to see their favorite players in action.
-
After a two year break from baseball, he's finally back in action. [=he's playing baseball again]
into action
:
to an active state
-
They had already put the plan into action. [=started using the plan]
-
Firefighters are ready to leap/spring/swing into action [=quickly start working] at a moment's notice.
◊ When people or things are called into action, they are asked to start working or doing a particular task.
-
As a doctor, she can be called into action at any time of the day.
-
Our military unit was called into action at the start of the war.
out of action
:
unable to perform a usual job or function
:
not in action
-
He broke his leg and the doctors say that he'll be out of action [=out of commission] for at least a month.
-
His broken leg will put/keep him out of action for at least a month.
