# action

Pronunciation: US say "AK-shuhn" /ˈæk.ʃn̩/; UK

## Noun

1. Something done, often in order to accomplish a purpose.
   - Simple: Something that a person does, usually to reach a goal.
   - _The new manager's first action after taking over was to cancel all weekend overtime._
   - _The committee judged each action by its consequences rather than its intent._
2. Fast-paced activity.
   - Simple: Fast, exciting movement or activity.
   - _The film delivers nonstop action right up to the closing scene._
   - _Downtown is where all the action happens on weekend nights._
3. Energy and effort spent in actually doing something.
   - Simple: The effort of doing or carrying out a task.
   - _The crisis demanded swift action from the country's leaders._
   - _Words are easy, but real action takes courage and commitment._
4. A legal process or charge brought before a court of law; a lawsuit.
   - Simple: A case brought before a court of law.
   - _The company filed a civil action for breach of contract._
   - _His action against the city went to trial last month._
5. The way in which something moves or functions.
   - Simple: The way something moves or works.
   - _Coaches spent weeks adjusting the young pitcher's throwing action to protect his shoulder._
   - _The swimmer's smooth arm action propelled her down the lane._
6. Armed fighting between military forces; combat.
   - Simple: Fighting in a war or battle.
   - _The battalion went into action at dawn along the ridge._
   - _He was wounded in action during the second week of the campaign._
7. A demonstration carried out by activists.
   - Simple: A public protest organized by people who want change.
   - _Activists staged an action outside the courthouse to demand reform._
   - _Climate activists staged a peaceful action outside the bank's headquarters to protest its oil investments._
8. A process that exists in or is produced by nature, rather than by human intent.
   - Simple: A natural process that happens on its own, not made by people.
   - _The action of frost cracks stone apart over many winters._
   - _Erosion results from the slow action of rivers on the landscape._
9. The series of events, real or imagined, that forms the subject of a play, poem, or other work; the unfolding of its drama.
   - Simple: The main events that make up the story of a play or book.
   - _The action of the novel shifts between two cities over a decade._
   - _Critics praised how steadily the action built toward the final scene._
10. The moving parts that make a mechanism work, especially the loading and firing mechanism of a gun or the key mechanism of a piano.
   - Simple: The moving parts inside a machine, gun, or piano that make it work.
   - _Gunsmiths cleaned the action before the hunting season opened._
   - _After the rainy hunt, she dried and oiled the rifle's action to keep rust away._
12. Sexual activity, usually spoken of in slang as something a person gets or hopes to get. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Sex or kissing and touching, talked about in slang as something a person wants to get.
   - _He bragged about getting plenty of action over the summer._
   - _She wasn't interested in any action that night and went home early._
14. On a stringed instrument, how far the strings stand above the fingerboard.
   - Simple: The gap between the strings and the fingerboard on a string instrument.
   - _The luthier adjusted the action to suit the player's light touch._
   - _A high action on a cello can tire the left hand during long passages._
15. The attitude or posture of a figure's body as it expresses the feeling or passion being depicted.
   - Simple: The pose of a figure in a painting or statue that shows feeling.
   - _Critics praised the action of the central figure, whose outstretched arms conveyed despair._
   - _In the fresco, each saint's action expresses a distinct devotional mood._
18. Betting in general, the total sum of money staked on something, or a chance to place a wager. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Betting, the total money people bet, or a chance to make a bet.
   - _The sportsbook reported record action on the championship game, most of it backing the underdog._
   - _Bettors looking for action on the fight can keep placing wagers until the opening bell._

## Interjection

11. Said to signal or demand the start of something, usually a performance.
   - Simple: Said to tell people to begin a scene or performance.
   - _'Quiet on set. And action!' she called from her chair._
   - _He raised his hand toward the crew and yelled, 'Action!'_

## Verb

13. In business and office use, to act on a request or instruction so as to put it into effect.
   - Simple: At work, to deal with a request or task so that it gets done.
   - _The manager actioned the complaint within the hour._
   - _We will action your feedback in the next software update._

## Verb

16. To begin legal proceedings against someone. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To start a court case against someone.

## Noun

17. A unit of ownership in a joint-stock company's capital, or a holding in government funds. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A part-ownership share in a company or in public funds.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The spin applied to a bowling ball as it is released down the lane.
- (noun) In mathematics, a way in which each element of an algebraic structure transforms another structure or set while respecting the structure of the first.
- (noun) In physics, a quantity with the dimensions of energy multiplied by time, usually defined as the time integral of the Lagrangian along a path.
- (adjective) Behaving in an arrogant, self-important way.
- (noun) A solemn religious service or function, especially the sacramental sermon preached before communion in the Scots Presbyterian Church.

## Origin

From Middle English "accioun," borrowed via Old French from Latin "āctiō(n)," meaning "act of doing or making." This came from "agere" ("to do, act"), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eǵ-.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/action (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).