# action
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English accion, from Old French aucion, acciun, from Latin āctiō(n) (“act of doing or making”), from āctus + action suffix -iō(n), perfect passive participle of agere (“do, act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti; see also act, active. By surface analysis, act +‎ -ion.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈæk.ʃən/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Hyphenation: ac‧tion
* Rhymes: -ækʃən

### Noun

action (countable and uncountable, plural actions)
* The effort of performing or doing something.
* Something done, often so as to accomplish a purpose.
    Coordinate terms: (what verbs can express) occurrence, state of being
* A way of motion or functioning.
    Knead bread with a rocking action.
* Fast-paced activity.
    a movie full of exciting action
* The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm.
    Pressing a piano key causes the action of the hammer on the string.
** (firearms) The way in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism.
    pump-action shotgun
* (music) The mechanism, that is the set of moving mechanical parts, of a keyboard instrument, like a piano, which transfers the motion of the key to the sound-making device.
    The run in bar 12 is almost impossible with this piano's heavy action.
* (music, lutherie) The distance separating the strings and the fingerboard on a string instrument.
    You're getting fret buzz because the action is too low.
* (slang, typically with a quantifier) Sexual intercourse.
    She gave him some action.
    I hope to get a bit of action with the hot guy from the club.
* (military) Combat.
    He saw some action in the Korean War.
* (law) A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio).
* (mathematics) A way in which each element of some algebraic structure transforms some other structure or set, in a way which respects the structure of the first. Formally, this may be seen as a morphism from the first structure into some structure of endomorphisms of the second; for example, a group action of a group G on a set S can be seen as a group homomorphism from G into the set of bijections on S (which form a group under function composition), while a module M over a ring R can be defined as an abelian group together with a ring homomorphism from R into the ring of group endomorphisms of M (which is also called the action of R on M).
* (physics) The product of energy and time, especially the product of the Lagrangian and time.
* (literature) The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events.
* (art, painting and sculpture) The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted.
* (bowling) spin put on the bowling ball.
* (obsolete) A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds.
** 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:So saying he presented him with two actions of above two thousand livres each.
** 1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC:the Euripus of funds and actions
* (Christianity) A religious performance or solemn function, i.e. action sermon, a sacramental sermon in the Scots Presbyterian Church.
** 2008, Duncan B. Forrester, Doug Gay, Worship and Liturgy in Context, scm Press, page 88:The Action Sermon is quite simply, then, the eucharistic sermon.
* (sciences) A process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings).
* (Misesian praxeology, Austrian economics) Purposeful behavior.
* A demonstration by activists.
** 1987 April 11, Kim Westheimer, “NY Protesters Rip FDA”, in Gay Community News, page 1:The protest was set up in less than three weeks by an ad hoc group called Act Up […] According to Kramer, Act Up will continue AIDS-related organizing, possibly including an action at an early June Washington, D.C., AIDS conference for scientists worldwide.

#### Synonyms

* (something done): deed; see also Thesaurus:action

#### Hyponyms

* action at a distance
* direct action
* social action

#### Derived terms

* actant
* actionable
* action adventure
* actional
* action doll
* actionee
* actioner
* actionfest
* action figure
* action film
* action-forcing
* action game
* action group
* action hero
* action hoe
* action house
* actionism
* actionist
* action item
* actionize
* actionless
* actionlet
* actionlike
* action man
* action movie
* actionness
* action noun
* action-packed
* action painter
* action painting
* action plan
* action point
* action potential
* action replay
* action research
* ActionScript
* action song
* action space
* action sport
* actions speak louder than words
* action star
* action stations
* action teaching
* action verb
* action word
* actiony
* actious
* affirmative action
* after-action
* all talk and no action
* alternate action
* apefirmative action
* back action
* backaction
* bioaction
* bolt action
* bolt-action
* call to action
* capillary action
* cause of action
* civil action
* class-action
* class action
* coaction
* collective action
* counteraction
* course of action
* cowboy action shooting
* cross action
* double action
* double-action
* ecoaction
* enemy action
* evasive action
* falling action
* false action
* galvanic action
* general intelligent action
* geriaction
* get action
* grand action
* holding action
* hyperaction
* inaction
* in action
* industrial action
* job action
* jump into action
* killed in action
* labor action
* labour action
* leap into action
* legal action
* lever action
* lights, camera, action
* live action
* lost in action
* man of action
* material action
* microaction
* misaction
* missing in action
* no-action letter
* no further action
* nonaction
* out of action
* overaction
* Peabody action
* permissive-action link
* Phineas action
* piece of the action
* plan of action
* play-action pass
* police action
* popular action
* positive action
* pre-action
* preaction
* principle of least action
* pump action
* put into action
* quantum of action
* radius of action
* rearguard action
* repose in action
* representative action
* retroaction
* rising action
* romaction
* secondary action
* self-action
* shareholders' derivative action
* slide action
* spooky action at a distance
* spring into action
* stop-action
* subaction
* suit the action to the word
* superaction
* swing into action
* take action
* unaction
* underaction
* unity of action
* western action shooting
* zone of action

#### Related terms

* act
* agency
* agent

#### Descendants

* → Arabic: أَكْشِن (ʔakšin)
* → Bulgarian: екшън (ekšǎn)
* → German: Action
* → Irish: aicsean
* → Hebrew: אקשן (akshn)
* → Japanese: アクション (akushon)
* → Korean: 액션 (aeksyeon)
* → Russian: экшн (ekšn)

#### Translations

Afrikaans: optrede
Albanian: veprim (sq)
American Sign Language: C@SideTrunkhigh-PalmDown-C@SideTrunkhigh-PalmDown RoundVertSidetoside-RoundVertSidetoside, Claw5@SideTrunkhigh-PalmDown-Claw5@SideTrunkhigh-PalmDown RoundVertSidetoside-RoundVertSidetoside
Arabic: عَمَل (ar) m (ʕamal)
Armenian: գործողություն (hy) (gorcoġutʻyun), արարք (hy) (ararkʻ)
Bashkir: ғәмәл (ğəməl)
Belarusian: дзе́янне n (dzjéjannje)
Bulgarian: де́йствие (bg) n (déjstvie), де́йност (bg) f (déjnost)
Catalan: acció (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 行動 / 行动 (zh) (xíngdòng), 作用 (zh) (zuòyòng)
Corsican: azzione (co) f, azzioni (co) f
Czech: čin (cs) m
Danish: handling (da) c
Dutch: handeling (nl) f, actie (nl) f
Egyptian: (st-ꜥ f)
Esperanto: ago
Estonian: tegu
Finnish: teko (fi), toimenpide (fi), toimi (fi)
French: action (fr) f
Galician: acción (gl) f
Georgian: ქმედება (kmedeba), მოქმედება (mokmedeba)
German: Handlung (de) f, Aktion (de) f
Greek: ενέργεια (el) f (enérgeia), πράξη (el) f (práxi)
Ancient: πρᾶξις f (prâxis)
Hausa: yin abu
Hebrew: פעולה \ פְּעֻלָּה (he) f (p'ulá), מַעֲשֶׂה (he) m (ma'asé)
Hindi: कर्म (hi) m (karm), करम (hi) m (karam), काम (hi) m (kām), क्रिया (hi) f (kriyā)
Hungarian: tett (hu), cselekedet (hu), intézkedés (hu), művelet (hu)
Ido: ago (io)
Indonesian: aksi (id), tindakan (id)
Interlingua: action
Irish: aicsean m
Italian: azione (it) f
Japanese: 行動 (ja) (こうどう, kōdō)
Khmer: កម្ម (km) (kam), កិរិយា (km) (keriyaa), កិច្ច (km) (kəc)
Korean: 행동(行動) (ko) (haengdong)
Lao: ກຳ (lo) (kam), ການກະທຳ (kān ka tham)
Latin: āctiō (la) f, āctus (la) f
Low German:
German Low German: Akschoon (nds) f
Macedonian: дејство n (dejstvo)
Malay: aksi (ms), tindakan (ms)
Malayalam: കർമ്മം (ml) (kaṟmmaṁ), പ്രവൃത്തി (ml) (pravr̥tti)
Maltese: azzjoni (mt) f
Maori: hohenga
Ngazidja Comorian: itrenɗwa class 7/8
Old English: dǣd f
Persian: ژیرش (fa) (žireš), کنش (fa) (koneš), آکسیون (fa) (âksyon), عمل (fa) ('amal)
Polish: czynność (pl) f, działanie (pl) n, czyn (pl) m, akcja (pl) f, akcja (pl) f
Portuguese: ação (pt) f
Romanian: faptă (ro), acțiune (ro)
Russian: де́йствие (ru) n (déjstvije), посту́пок (ru) m (postúpok), а́кция (ru) f (ákcija), акт (ru) m (akt), дея́ние (ru) n (dejánije)
Sanskrit: कर्मन् (sa) (karman)
Scottish Gaelic: gnìomh m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ра́дња f, чи̑н m
Roman: rádnja (sh) f, čȋn (sh) m
Sicilian: azzioni f
Slovak: čin (sk) m
Slovene: dejanje (sl) n
Spanish: acción (es) f
Swedish: handling (sv)
Tagalog: aksiyon (tl)
Tajik: амал (tg) (amal)
Thai: กรรม (th) (gam), การกระทำ (th) (gaan-grà-tam)
Tibetan: ལས (las)
Tocharian B: yamalläññe, yāmor
Turkish: aksiyon (tr), amel (tr), eylem (tr), fiil (tr)
Ukrainian: ді́я (uk) f (díja), ді́яння (uk) n (díjannja)
Vietnamese: hành động (vi)
Volapük: dun (vo), dunam :
    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### See also

* deed
* Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take

#### References

* action on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Interjection

action!
* Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually a performance.
    Antonym: cut
    The director yelled ‘Action!’ after the cameras started rolling.

#### Translations
### Adjective

action (comparative more action, superlative most action)
* (Manglish) arrogant

### Verb

action (third-person singular simple present actions, present participle actioning, simple past and past participle actioned)
* (transitive, management) To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.
** 2004, Ros Jay, Richard Templar, “Fast thinking: project”, in Fast Thinking Manager's Manual‎, 2nd edition, Pearson Education, →ISBN, Fast Thinking Leader, page 276:‘Here, give me the minutes of Monday’s meeting. I’ll action your points for you while you get on and sort out the open day.’
** 2005, Fritz Liebreich, “The physical confrontation: interception and diversion policies in theory and practice”, in Britain's Navel and Political Reaction to the Illegal Immigration of Jews to Palestine, 1945-1948‎, Routledge, →ISBN, page 196:Violent reactions from the Jewish authorities were expected and difficulties of actioning the new guidelines were foreseen.
** 2007, Great Britain: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, “Case study: 11257”, in Tax Credits: Getting it wrong? 5th report session 2006-2007‎, The Stationery Office, →ISBN, Chapter 2: Changes and developments since June 2005, page 26:HMRC said that one reason they had not actioned her appeal was because she had said in her appeal form ‘I am appealing against the overpayment for childcare for 2003-04, 2004-05’, thus implying she was disputing her ‘overpayment’.
** 2024 May 13, “Spice up your spreadsheets! Should you run your relationship like a business?”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:Do say: “I can action that for you going forward, my little summer squash.”
* (transitive, chiefly archaic) To initiate a legal action against someone.
** 1856, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, The Attaché: or Sam Slick in England‎, new revised edition, Stringer & Townsend, Chapter XLVII: The Horse Stealer; or All Trades Have Tricks But Our Own, page 270:‘I have no business to settle with you—arrest me, Sir, at your peril and I’ll action you in law for false imprisonment.’
** 1844, Robert Mackenzie Daniel, The Grave Digger: A novel by the author of The Scottish Heiress‎, volume I, T. C. Newby, Chapter IX: How the Grave-differ entertained a lady, pages 189–190:“Scrip threatened me at first with an action for slander—he spoke of actions to the wrong man though—action! no, no no. I should have actioned him—ha! ha! [...]”
** 1871, Michael Shermer, quoting Alfred Russell Wallace, In Darwin’s shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russell Wallace‎, Oxford University Press US, published 2002, →ISBN, Chapter 10. Heretic Personality, page 261:I have actioned him for Libel, but he won’t plead, and says he will make himself bankrupt & won’t pay a penny.
** 1996, Darryl Mark Ogier, “Discipline: Enforcement”, in Reformation and Society in Guernsey‎, Boydell & Brewer, →ISBN, Part Two: The Calvinist Regime, page 148:In 1589 the Court went so far as to effect a reconciliation between Michel le Petevin and his wife after she actioned him for ill treatment and adultery with their chambermaid.

#### Usage notes

* Use of action as a verb is rejected by some usage authorities.

#### References

* OED 2nd edition 1989
* Notes:
* ↑ Marshall Cavendish Corporation Growing Up with Science p.1079
* ↑ Christopher Howse, Richard Preston (2007) She Literally Exploded: The Daily Telegraph Infuriating Phrasebook, London: Constable and Robinson, →ISBN, page 3.

### Further reading

* “action”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “action”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

### Anagrams

* Catino, actino-, atonic, cation

## French
### Etymology

From Old French acciun, aucion, etymologically reconstructed in Middle French to resemble the Latin actiōnem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ak.sjɔ̃/
* Audio:(file)
* Homophone: axion

### Noun

action f (plural actions)
* action, act, deed
    une bonne action ― a good deed
* campaign
    une action promotionnellea promotional campaign
* stock, share
    une action de capitalisationa capitalisation share
* (Switzerland) a special offer

#### Derived terms

* action de grâce
* Action démocratique
* bonne action
* dans le feu de l’action
* entrer en action
* plan d’action
* rayon d’action
* silence, moteur, action

#### Descendants

* Saint Dominican Creole French: z'action
* → Ottoman Turkish: آقسیون (aksiyon)
** Turkish: aksiyon
* → Romanian: acțiune

### Further reading

* “action”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* cation, contai

## Interlingua
### Noun

action (plural actiones)
* action

#### Related terms

* active
* activitate

## Middle English
### Noun

action
* Alternative form of accion

## Middle French
### Etymology

From Old French acciun, aucion, etymologically reconstructed to resemble the Latin actiō.

### Noun

action f (plural actions)
* action; act

#### Descendants

* French: action

## Scots
### Etymology

From Middle English accion.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /akˈʃən/

### Noun

action (plural actions)
* action

### Verb

action (third-person singular simple present actions, present participle actionin, simple past actiont, past participle actiont)
* to action

### References

* Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016) The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.

## Swedish
### Noun

action
* action (intense activity)
    Alla är så slöa här. Det behövs mer action.Everyone's so lethargic here. We need more action.
    En film med mycket actionA movie with lots of action (scenes)

#### Usage notes

Uninflected.

#### Derived terms

* actionfilm (“action movie”)
* actionhjälte (“action hero”)

#### See also

* aktion
* auktion

### References

* action in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* action in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)