200+ Action Words in English: Know How to Use

In the dynamic realm of the English language, the choice of words holds the key to effective communication. Among these, action words, also known as verbs, play a pivotal role in shaping the tone, energy, and impact of your writing. Beyond mere descriptors, action words infuse life into sentences, propelling your readers into a world of vivid imagery and compelling narratives.

This blog explores the significance of action words in English, delving into their transformative power and offering insights on harnessing them for more engaging and powerful writing.

Understanding Action Words

Action words are the engines that drive your sentences forward, providing momentum and direction to your narrative. Unlike static adjectives or nouns, verbs inject dynamism, creating a sense of movement and urgency. Consider the difference between saying, “The river flowed” and “The river meandered.” The choice of the action word conveys motion and paints a distinct picture in the reader’s mind.

How to Use an Action Word in a Sentence?

Has it occurred to you that action words are verbs? Well, they are verbs, and employing them in phrases should be simple if you have already learned how to conjugate a verb based on the various tense forms and context. Although not all verbs are action words, their usage is consistent. Take a look at the samples below to see how they act in sentences.

Examples:

As the sun dipped below the horizon, she scanned the pages of her favorite book, captivated by the magic of the written word.

The athlete dashed across the finish line, leaving a trail of dust behind as the crowd erupted in cheers.

From the balcony, she gazed at the starlit sky, her eyes tracing constellations that held stories of ancient times.

Their love adored the quiet moments, where stolen glances spoke volumes in the language only they understood.

In the midst of chaos, they battled fiercely, each movement a dance of determination and resilience.

Commonly Used Action Words in English

Do you struggle to understand what action words are? Here’s a list of the most prevalent action words in English. By going through these terms, you may readily distinguish action words from the vast array of vocabulary that is updated every other day.

• Ride
• Sit down
• Win
• Drink
• Knit
• Stand
• Throw
• Close
• Open
• Skip
• Sleep
• Cut
• Eat
• Cook
• Sip
• Fight
• Play
• Give
• Dig
• Bath
• Laugh
• Dance
• Climb
• Talk Ski
• Read
• Wash
• Crawl
• Wait
• Dive
• Fly
• Turn off
• Fall
• Snore
• Bow
• Listen
• Sing
• Dream
• Watch
• Buy
• Cry
• Write
• Clap
• Sew
• Stack
• Think
• Jump
• Knit
• Paint
• Shake

Action Words in the Alphabetical Order

There are various terms in English that can be used to describe an activity performed by a performer or a group of people who serve as the subject of a sentence. For your convenience, we have provided a comprehensive list of action words organised alphabetically below. Go through it and learn as many terms as possible to boost your vocabulary.

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘A’

1. Approach

2. Achieve

3. Address

4. Analyze

5. Arrange

6. Announce

7. Assess

8. Awaken

9. Absolve

10. Attach

11. Activate

12. Aspire

13. Absorb

14. Authenticate

15. Abandon

16. Advise

17. Admire

18. Admit

19. Allocate

20. Adorn

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘B’

1. Break

2. Build

3. Balance

4. Boost

5. Bake

6. Blink

7. Blossom

8. Brush

9. Breathe

10. Burst

11. Bid

12. Belong

13. Benefit

14. Broadcast

15. Browse

16. Blend

17. Banish

18. Beat

19. Bend

20. Bubble

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘C’

1. Create

2. Conquer

3. Capture

4. Communicate

5. Cultivate

6. Climb

7. Calculate

8. Celebrate

9. Consume

10. Challenge

11. Contribute

12. Craft

13. Connect

14. Comfort

15. Compare

16. Collect

17. Coordinate

18. Change

19. Convince

20. Care

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘D’

1. Discover

2. Develop

3. Dance

4. Dedicate

5. Delegate

6. Design

7. Dive

8. Direct

9. Drive

10. Define

11. Discuss

12. Demand

13. Document

14. Deliver

15. Dream

16. Distribute

17. Draw

18. Determine

19. Differentiate

20. Dazzle

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘E’

1. Excel

2. Empower

3. Explore

4. Execute

5. Evolve

6. Elevate

7. Embrace

8. Educate

9. Engage

10. Envision

11. Energize

12. Establish

13. Enhance

14. Examine

15. Endorse

16. Extract

17. Entertain

18. Elicit

19. Exceed

20. Enlighten

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘F’

1. Forge

2. Facilitate

3. Foster

4. Formulate

5. Fulfill

6. Flourish

7. Foster

8. Fuel

9. Focus

10. Facade

11. Function

12. Fracture

13. Foster

14. Flee

15. Foster

16. Fuse

17. Fluctuate

18. Foster

19. Flip

20. Fashion

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘G’

1. Generate

2. Grow

3. Grasp

4. Guide

5. Garner

6. Govern

7. Gather

8. Galvanize

9. Glide

10. Greet

11. Gradate

12. Gauge

13. Guard

14. Gain

15. Glamorize

16. Glance

17. Grumble

18. Glitter

19. Gratify

20. Gallop

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘H’

1. Hike

2. Harvest

3. Hug

4. Hesitate

5. Heal

6. Hypnotize

7. Hunt

8. Hurdle

9. Hammer

10. Hum

11. Handle

12. Hinder

13. Help

14. Hover

15. Hibernate

16. Harangue

17. Highlight

18. Hop

19. Honor

20. Harness

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘I’

1. Illuminate

2. Inspire

3. Investigate

4. Innovate

5. Integrate

6. Initiate

7. Incite

8. Improve

9. Impress

10. Illuminate

11. Influence

12. Illustrate

13. Interact

14. Implement

15. Inquire

16. Invent

17. Indulge

18. Interpret

19. Intensify

20. Instigate

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘J’

1. Jump

2. Jolt

3. Juggle

4. Jog

5. Joust

6. Judge

7. Jolt

8. Jive

9. Join

10. Jest

11. Jam

12. Jive

13. Jinx

14. Jettison

15. Jog

16. Jolt

17. Jab

18. Jitter

19. Juxtapose

20. Jerk

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘K’

1. Kick

2. Keep

3. Kindled

4. Kindle

5. Knead

6. Knot

7. Knock

8. Keep

9. Kiss

10. Kidnap

11. Kickstart

12. Kowtow

13. Kneel

14. Knit

15. Knuckle

16. Kick-off

17. Kibitz

18. Kerfuffle

19. Kowtow

20. Kneecap

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘L’

1. Leap

2. Laugh

3. Listen

4. Lament

5. Launch

6. Locate

7. Lead

8. Learn

9. Levitate

10. Linger

11. Liberate

12. Look

13. Lurch

14. Lament

15. Luxuriate

16. Latch

17. Lurk

18. Land

19. Lend

20. Live

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘M’

1. Move

2. Motivate

3. Migrate

4. Manifest

5. Maneuver

6. Mobilize

7. Maintain

8. Merge

9. Modify

10. Master

11. Magnify

12. Meditate

13. Motivate

14. Mend

15. Monitor

16. Model

17. Melt

18. Maneuver

19. Multiply

20. Mark

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘N’

1. Navigate

2. Nurture

3. Nourish

4. Notice

5. Negotiate

6. Narrate

7. Nudge

8. Nominate

9. Normalize

10. Nurture

11. Nuzzle

12. Nourish

13. Nominate

14. Notify

15. Navigate

16. Nomadize

17. Nullify

18. Neutralize

19. Nip

20. Nestle

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘O’

1. Operate

2. Observe

3. Organize

4. Overcome

5. Originate

6. Offer

7. Open

8. Optimize

9. Occupy

10. Outline

11. Orient

12. Oscillate

13. Oblige

14. Outperform

15. Oversee

16. Overhaul

17. Overcome

18. Ooze

19. Outshine

20. Outreach

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘P’

1. Propel

2. Pursue

3. Perform

4. Plan

5. Produce

6. Progress

7. Propel

8. Promote

9. Participate

10. Persuade

11. Pilot

12. Persevere

13. Plunge

14. Perceive

15. Propel

16. Prioritize

17. Propel

18. Perfect

19. Ponder

20. Play

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘Q’

1. Query

2. Quicken

3. Quell

4. Quench

5. Qualify

6. Quiver

7. Quota

11. Quip

12. Quarrel

14. Question

15. Quantify

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘R’

1. Run

2. Reach

3. Read

4. Roam

5. Ride

6. Radiate

7. Revolve

8. Rally

9. Reflect

10. Roar

11. Resist

12. React

13. Rearrange

14. Resolve

15. Recreate

16. Relax

17. Resonate

18. Renew

19. Rejoice

20. Rotate

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘S’

1. Swim

2. Sing

3. Sway

4. Soar

5. Speak

6. Sprint

7. Sparkle

8. Shine

9. Stroll

10. Study

11. Solve

12. Support

13. Sculpt

14. Synthesize

15. Secure

16. Synchronize

17. Spin

18. Savor

19. Synchronize

20. Sleep

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘T’

1. Talk

2. Think

3. Travel

4. Teach

5. Transform

6. Tumble

7. Tend

8. Tackle

9. Triumph

10. Target

11. Tune

12. Train

13. Turn

14. Tiptoe

15. Test

16. Traverse

17. Tremble

18. Transmit

19. Tolerate

20. Twist

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘U’

1. Unleash

2. Understand

3. Uncover

4. Undertake

5. Unite

6. Update

7. Utilize

8. Uphold

9. Urge

10. Unwind

11. Unravel

12. Unify

13. Upend

14. Upstage

15. Unload

16. Unveil

17. Upset

18. Unearth

19. Uphold

20. Upgrade

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘V’

1. Venture

2. Visualize

3. Vary

4. Validate

5. Vanish

6. Vocalize

7. Venture

8. Visit

9. Value

10. Verify

11. View

12. Vault

13. Vibrate

14. Vent

15. Voyage

16. Visualize

17. Venture

18. Vitalize

19. Volley

20. Vote

Action Words that Start with the Letter ‘W’

1. Walk

2. Write

3. Wander

4. Wield

5. Win

6. Widen

7. Whisper

8. Wrestle

9. Worry

10. Work

11. Weave

12. Witness

13. Wink

14. Wilt

15. Welcome

16. Weather

17. Wriggle

18. Wrestle

19. Warn

20. Worship

Action Words in English- FAQs

What’s an action word?

Action words, also known as action verbs, are verbs that specifically express what a person is doing or has done.

How many action words are there?

There are thousands of action verbs in the English language and they’re divided into two categories transitive verbs where a noun receives the action of the verb “Suzanne kicked the rock.”, and intransitive verbs where there is no direct object “Suzanne walked to school.”

What are all action words called?

As one might expect, verbs, or words that describe activities, are what we refer to as action words. On the other hand, non-action words, also known as non-action verbs, are words that characterize a need, an opinion, a perception, or a condition of being.