action (ˈækʃən
)
Definitions
noun
- the state or process of doing something or being active; operation
- something done, such as an act or deed
- movement or posture during some physical activity
- activity, force, or energy ⇒
a man of action
- (usually plural) conduct or behaviour
- law
- a legal proceeding brought by one party against another, seeking redress of a wrong or recovery of what is due; lawsuit
- the right to bring such a proceeding
- the operating mechanism, esp in a piano, gun, watch, etc
- (of a guitar) the distance between the strings and the fingerboard
- (of keyboard instruments) the sensitivity of the keys to touch
- the force applied to a body ⇒
the reaction is equal and opposite to the action
- the way in which something operates or works
- See out of action
- physics
- a property of a system expressed as twice the mean kinetic energy of the system over a given time interval multiplied by the time interval
- the product of work or energy and time, usually expressed in joule seconds ⇒
Planck's constant of action
- the events that form the plot of a story, film, play, or other composition
- military
- a minor engagement
- fighting at sea or on land ⇒
he saw action in the war
- philosophy behaviour which is voluntary and explicable in terms of the agent's reasons, as contrasted with that which is coerced or determined causally
- British short for industrial action
- informal the profits of an enterprise or transaction (esp in the phrase a piece of the action)
- slang the main activity, esp social activity
verb (tr)
- to put into effect; take action concerning ⇒
matters decided at the meeting cannot be actioned until the following week
exclamation
- a command given by a film director to indicate that filming is to begin See also cue1 (sense 8)
Word Origin
C14: accioun, ultimately from Latin āctiōn-, stem of āctiō, from agere to do, actSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
deed,
move,
act,
performance,
blow,
exercise,
achievement,
stroke,
undertaking,
exploit,
feat,
accomplishment,
exertion,
=
lawsuit,
case,
cause,
trial,
suit,
argument,
proceeding,
dispute,
contest,
prosecution,
litigation,
=
effect,
working,
work,
force,
power,
process,
effort,
operation,
activity,
movement,
influence,
functioning,
motion,
exertion,
Quotations
"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory"
"In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman"
"Actions speak louder than words"
Translations
- British English:
action
Action is doing something for a particular purpose.They want to see tough action taken against the criminals.ˈækʃən NOUN They want to see tough action taken against the criminals.
- Spanish:
acción
nf
- French:
action
nf
- German:
Handlung
nf
- Chinese: 行动 n
- Arabic: فِعْل n
- Portuguese: acção nf
- Russian: действие nnt
- Croatian: radnja nf
- Czech: čin nm
- Danish: handling nutr
- Dutch: actie nf
- Finnish: teko n
- Greek: δράση nf
- Italian: azione nf
- Japanese: 活動 n
- Korean: 활동 n
- Norwegian: handling nm
- Polish: działanie nnt
- Brazilian Portuguese: ação nf
- European Spanish:
acción
nf
- Swedish: åtgärd nutr
- Thai: การกระทำ n
- Turkish: eylem n
- Vietnamese: hành động n
Usage examples
The action was around the far goalmouth which was just visible through the zest coming off the sea.
, INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS (2002)This is testimony to his fun-loving nature and his enthusiasm for games and action !
Country Life (2004)She said yesterday she was delighted with the outcome of the case and felt vindicated in having taken her action.
Irish Times (2002)In April last year, the company's clerical staff were on the verge of strike action.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Anger is pride in action , warning us that we are in danger.
, BEYOND FEAR (2002)