action verb

American  

noun

Grammar.

1. a verb, as run, think, or soothe, that expresses something that a person, animal, object, or process in nature can do, as in Close the door! or The storm is flooding many houses along the coast, rather than expressing a state of being.

---

Etymology

Origin of action verb

First recorded in 1875–80

Compare meaning

How does action-verb compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• action verb vs. linking verb