action - definition, thesaurus and related words from WordNet-Online

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Noun action has 10 senses

action - something done (usually as opposed to something said); "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"
--₁ is a kind of act, human action, human activity
--₁ has particulars:

Derived form: verb act₁

action, activity, activeness - the state of being active; "his sphere of activity"; "he is out of action"
--₂ is a kind of state
Antonyms: inaction, inactivity, inactiveness
--₂ has particulars:
agency; busyness, hum; behavior, behaviour; eruption, eructation, extravasation; operation; overdrive; play; swing

Derived forms: verb act₈, verb act₁
legal action, action, action at law - 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
--₃ is a kind of proceeding, legal proceeding, proceedings
--₃ has particulars:
antitrust case; civil action; counterclaim; custody case; lis pendens; prosecution, criminal prosecution; test case, test suit

Derived form: verb action₁
action - an act by a government body or supranational organization; "recent federal action undermined the segregationist position"; "the United Nations must have the power to propose and organize action without being hobbled by irrelevant issues"; "the Union action of emancipating Southern slaves"
--₄ is a kind of group action

military action, action - a military engagement; "he saw action in Korea"
--₅ is a kind of group action
--₅ has particulars:

natural process, natural action, action, activity - a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings); "the action of natural forces"; "volcanic activity"
--₆ is a kind of process
--₆ has particulars:

radiation; absorption; acidification; adiabatic process; aeration; antiredeposition; capture; capture; centrifugation; chemical process, chemical change, chemical action; chromatography; concretion; condensation; convection; curdling, clotting, coagulation; decay; demagnetization, demagnetisation; desorption; diffusion; dissolution, disintegration; distillation, distillment; drift; effervescence; electrophoresis, cataphoresis, dielectrolysis, ionophoresis; establishment, ecesis; extinction; extraction; feedback; filtration; flocculation; flow; formation; fossilization, fossilisation; geological process, geologic process; hardening, solidifying, solidification, set, curing; ignition; inactivation; induction; ion exchange; ionization, ionisation; leach, leaching; magnetization, magnetisation, magnetic induction; materialization, materialisation; nuclear reaction; opacification; oscillation; oxygenation; pair production, pair creation, pair formation; phase change, phase transition, state change, physical change; precession of the equinoxes; release; saltation; scattering; sericulture; sink; soak, soakage, soaking; softening; sorption; source; stiffening, rigidifying, rigidification; stimulation; succession, ecological succession; survival, survival of the fittest, natural selection, selection; synergy, synergism; temperature change; transduction; transpiration; vitrification

action - the series of events that form a plot; "his novels always have a lot of action"
--₇ is a kind of plot
action, action mechanism - the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism; "the piano had a very stiff action"
--₈ is a kind of mechanism
--₈ is a part of gun; keyboard
--₈ has parts: key
--₈ has particulars:
gunlock, firing mechanism; movement; piano action; pump action, slide action
action - the trait of being active and energetic and forceful; "a man of action"
--₉ is a kind of drive
action - the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field; "the action is no longer in technology stocks but in municipal bonds"; "gawkers always try to get as close to the action as possible"
--₁₀ is a kind of work

Verb action has 2 senses

action, sue, litigate, process - institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against; "He was warned that the district attorney would process him"; "She actioned the company for discrimination"
--₁ is one way to challenge

Derived form: noun action₃
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s somebody
carry through, accomplish, execute, carry out, action, fulfill, fulfil - put in effect; "carry out a task"; "execute the decision of the people"; "He actioned the operation"
--₂ is a kind of complete, finish; effect, effectuate, bring about, set up
Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s something