Action

//ˈæk.ʃən// adj, intj, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    arrogant Manglish
Intj
  1. 1
    Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually a performance.

    "The director yelled ‘Action!’ after the cameras started rolling."

Noun
  1. 1
    The effort of performing or doing something. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    something done (usually as opposed to something said) wordnet
  3. 3
    Something done, often so as to accomplish a purpose. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field wordnet
  5. 5
    A way of motion or functioning. countable, uncountable

    "Knead bread with a rocking action."

Show 27 more definitions
  1. 6
    a military engagement wordnet
  2. 7
    Fast-paced activity. countable, uncountable

    "a movie full of exciting action"

  3. 8
    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 wordnet
  4. 9
    The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm. countable, uncountable

    "Pressing a piano key causes the action of the hammer on the string."

  5. 10
    an act by a government body or supranational organization wordnet
  6. 11
    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. countable, uncountable

    "pump-action shotgun"

  7. 12
    the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism wordnet
  8. 13
    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. countable, uncountable

    "The run in bar 12 is almost impossible with this piano's heavy action."

  9. 14
    In firearms terminology, the mechanism that handles the ammunition (loads, locks, fires, and extracts the cartridges). wordnet
  10. 15
    The distance separating the strings and the fingerboard on a string instrument. countable, uncountable

    "You're getting fret buzz because the action is too low."

  11. 16
    the trait of being active and energetic and forceful wordnet
  12. 17
    Sexual intercourse. countable, slang, uncountable

    "She gave him some action."

  13. 18
    the series of events that form a plot wordnet
  14. 19
    Combat. countable, uncountable

    "He saw some action in the Korean War."

  15. 20
    a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings) wordnet
  16. 21
    A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio). countable, uncountable
  17. 22
    the state of being active wordnet
  18. 23
    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). countable, uncountable
  19. 24
    The product of energy and time, especially the product of the Lagrangian and time. countable, uncountable
  20. 25
    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. countable, uncountable
  21. 26
    The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted. countable, uncountable
  22. 27
    spin put on the bowling ball. countable, uncountable
  23. 28
    A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds. countable, obsolete, uncountable

    "So saying he presented him with two actions of above two thousand livres each."

  24. 29
    A religious performance or solemn function, i.e. action sermon, a sacramental sermon in the Scots Presbyterian Church. countable, uncountable

    "The Action Sermon is quite simply, then, the eucharistic sermon."

  25. 30
    A process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings). countable, uncountable
  26. 31
    Purposeful behavior. Austrian, countable, uncountable
  27. 32
    A demonstration by activists. countable, uncountable

    "The protest was set up in less than three weeks by an ad hoc group called Act Up […] According to Kramer, Act Up will continue AIDS-related organizing, possibly including an action at an early June Washington, D.C., AIDS conference for scientists worldwide."

Verb
  1. 1
    To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect. transitive

    "‘Here, give me the minutes of Monday’s meeting. I’ll action your points for you while you get on and sort out the open day.’"

  2. 2
    put in effect wordnet
  3. 3
    To initiate a legal action against someone. archaic, transitive

    "‘I have no business to settle with you—arrest me, Sir, at your peril and I’ll action you in law for false imprisonment.’"

  4. 4
    institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

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.

Etymology 3

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.

Etymology 4

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.

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