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action

action

49 5.1
A change caused by natural forces like wind or water
  • noun
  • /ˈækʃən/
translation icon : acción
  • Then you push past it, until action and reaction become instinct.
  • glacial action
  • wave action
  • ecosystems in action

They're all produced by the transformative action of microorganisms.

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Examples

  • They're all produced by the transformative action of microorganisms.

  • I bet this lot has seen some action.

  • No seismic action last night.

  • In about an hour, the action of the exnide takes place.

  • The coroner told me that wave action had rendered the face featureless.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • It is one with cause and effect, and you can't have action or reaction without it.

  • The scientist observed the effects of wave action on the shore after the storm.

  • The erosion of the coastline was primarily due to the natural action of ocean currents.

  • Changes in temperature led to chemical action that affected the local ecosystem.

Synonyms

activity
vsaction
274 1.9

A natural process in a living thing or the environment that makes parts work

refers more widely to any natural process not only living functions
natural process
vsaction
11 3.2

A change that happens in the world without human help

is the same meaning but uses a shorter single word form
chemical action
vsaction
  • Specialized
3.5

A process in which substances change into new substances, for example rusting or cooking

covers natural processes generally not limited to chemical changes

Antonyms

stasis
  • Formal
5 8.2

A situation with little change because two sides balance each other

Idioms

15 4.4

A share in an activity that may bring money or excitement

lost in action
  • Specialized
7.9

Missing during a battle with nobody knowing what happened to them

Taking part where an event is most active and intense

Act in the same way you say you will

Compounds

222 4.7

A plan to help groups treated unfairly get more chances in education or work

105 3.7

An action by soldiers that involves fighting

A plan of steps to reach a goal

legal action
  • Formal
42 3.8

A court process to solve a dispute when someone sues another

class action
  • Specialized
39 4.4

A lawsuit brought by some people for a larger group with similar claims

A group that raises and spends money to support political candidates or causes

A clear set of steps to reach a goal

11 4.2

A man who decides quickly and gets things done

direct action
  • Jargon
10 5.5

A protest where people act directly, for example by blocking a road or factory, to reach their goals

7 8.2

A set of facts that lets a person ask a court to fix a wrong

civil action
  • Formal
7 5.3

A legal case to get money or fix a private wrong, not a criminal case

A lawsuit started by one or more people for many others with the same problem

A quick move to avoid danger

police action
  • Jargon
3 7.6

A military operation done without declaring war to restore peace

A quick movement your body makes without thinking, for example pulling your hand from something hot

social action
  • Formal
1 4.2

A planned effort to change life in a community or improve people's living conditions

job action
  • Specialized
1 5.7

Temporary work protest by workers to demand better pay or conditions

capillary action
  • Specialized
1 5.8

Movement of liquid up thin tubes or spaces, like water rising in a plant stem

action potential
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A quick change in electric charge across a cell membrane that carries a signal along nerve or muscle cells

A defensive action to protect an army that is retreating or delay an enemy

1 8.4

A legal right to take someone to court

action painting
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A style of abstract painting where the artist moves and applies paint in big, energetic movements

1 7.7

A person in the military or intelligence who carries out a secret task

1 4.1

Every push or pull makes an equal force in the opposite direction

pump action
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A sliding lever on a shotgun or rifle that loads a new round when you move it back and forth

1 7.9

Someone directly involved in a court case, as plaintiff or defendant

A person or event that makes people act and speeds up change

chemical action
  • Specialized
3.5

A process in which substances change into new substances, for example rusting or cooking

A camera setting that waits before taking a photo so you can join the picture

action at law
  • Formal
7.9

A case where one person takes another to court to get or protect a right

action mechanism
  • Specialized
6.3

The mechanical part of a device that makes parts move, like in a piano or toy

action plant
  • Indian
9.3

A tropical plant whose small leaves fold quickly when touched or at night

action spectrum
  • Specialized
8.2

A graph showing which colours of light cause a reaction

A short video showing a recent play again, often during sports events

law of mass action
  • Specialized
6.0

The speed of a chemical reaction depends on the amounts of the substances that react

mass action
  • Specialized
8.8

Large areas of the brain work together for complex tasks

mass-action principle
  • Specialized
9.8

A theory that large areas of the brain work together for complex tasks

An action done together by several people to reach the same goal

piano action
  • Specialized
5.8

The levers and parts inside a piano that make hammers hit strings when you press a key

A place where a sports event happens, like a field or stadium

slide action
  • Specialized
8.1

A part of a shotgun you move back and forth to eject and load shells for the next shot

How Strong

power
3.4
violence
34 4.3
force
  • Specialized
2.3
action
49 5.1
movement
696 1.5

Surface Forms

action singular
actions plural

Morphology

action = act (transparent) = act + ion

The noun denotes the result or process of acting (e.g., the movement or effect produced), which is directly derived from 'act' + '-ion'.

Etymology

Action comes from old Latin agere 'to do', and it helps to think of it as the 'doing' power of nature; the action of wind or water is the work those forces 'do' to shape the land.