actions

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of action.

   The committee reviewed the actions taken during the emergency.

   Small daily actions add up to meaningful change over time.

   Note

   A regular plural, and plurals count: the singular can name action in general, but actions are separate things done, each of which can be listed, reviewed or judged. The form also belongs to firearms talk. There, the actions of different guns are the ways each one loads, locks and extracts its cartridges. Context separates the two readings. The actions taken points to deeds, while a rifle's action points to its mechanism.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of action.

   The manager actions urgent requests before reviewing routine ones.

   Our system automatically actions any order flagged as paid.

   Note

   The verb beside the noun always takes a direct object. Someone actions a request, an order or a complaint, putting it into effect. An older use, suing someone, is archaic, so the request-handling meaning is the one to expect today. The spelling matches the plural noun. A following object marks the verb (she actions the order), while a determiner marks the noun (her actions).

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