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action
has definitions from the fields of military,law,writing
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[ noun ] something done (usually as opposed to something said)
Examples "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions" Used in print (Bern Dibner, "Oerstad and the Discovery of Electro...)An attempt should be made to see if electricity , in its most latent stage , has any action on the magnet as_such '' . (Harold Rosenberg, "The Trial and Eichmann"...)At_any_rate , the substance of Eichmann 's testimony was that all his actions flowed_from his membership in the party and the SS , and though the Prosecutor did his utmost to prove actual personal hatred of Jews , his success on this score was doubtful and the anti-Semitic lesson weakened to_that_extent . (The Rev. John A. O'Brien, "Let's Take Birth Control...)Many other Protestant_denominations preceded the Anglicans in such action . This development is reflected in the action taken in February , 1961 , by the general board of the National_Council_of_Churches , the largest Protestant organization in the US . An action once universally condemned by all Christian_churches and forbidden by the civil_law is now not_only approved by the overwhelming majority of Protestant_denominations , but also deemed , at certain times , to be a positive religious duty . Related terms act thing accomplishment change interaction performance choice course resistance hire economy arrival reference picking aggression emphasizing playing transfusion bruxism forbiddance pickings transgression res_gestae alienation play beatification stupefaction destabilisation kindness act |
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[ noun ] the state of being active
Synonyms Examples "his sphere of activity" "he is out of action" Used in print (Bonnie Prudden, "The Dancer and the Gymnast"...)First of the problems attacked would be fatigue and emotional tension , since action relieves both . (Jacob Robbins et al., "The thyroid-stimulating...)The mechanism of action of these drugs has not been completely worked_out , but certain of them appear to act by reducing the oxidised form of iodine before it can iodinate thyroglobulin ( Astwood , 1954 ) . (E. Gellhorn, "Prolegomena to a theory of the emotions"...)Moreover , the dominance in parasympathetic action ( with reciprocal inhibition of the sympathetic ) at the hypothalamic level induces , by its peripheral action , the autonomic symptoms of sleep and , by its action on the cortex , a lessening in the reactivity of the sensory and motor apparatus of the somatic nervous_system . Moreover , the dominance in parasympathetic action ( with reciprocal inhibition of the sympathetic ) at the hypothalamic level induces , by its peripheral action , the autonomic symptoms of sleep and , by its action on the cortex , a lessening in the reactivity of the sensory and motor apparatus of the somatic nervous_system . Moreover , the dominance in parasympathetic action ( with reciprocal inhibition of the sympathetic ) at the hypothalamic level induces , by its peripheral action , the autonomic symptoms of sleep and , by its action on the cortex , a lessening in the reactivity of the sensory and motor apparatus of the somatic nervous_system . |
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[ noun ] (law) a judicial proceeding brought by one party against another; one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or for prevention of a wrong
Synonyms Used in print (Allan J. Braff and Roger F. Miller, "Wage-Price...)The threat of effective anti-trust action , provoked by `` gouging the public '' through price increases not justified by cost increases , and fears of endangering relations with customers , Congress , the general public and the press , all operate to keep price increases in some relation to cost increases . |
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[ noun ] (military) a military engagement
Synonyms Examples "he saw action in Korea" Used in print (The Dallas Morning News,...)End Gene_Raesz , who broke a hand in the Owl 's game with LSU , was back working_out with Rice_Monday , and John_Nichols , sophomore guard , moved_back into action after a week 's idleness with an ankle injury . (St. Louis Post-Dispatch,...)Friend is off to a great start with a 4 - 0 record but is n't likely to see action here this week . St._Louis_U. was to be in action again today with a game scheduled at 4 against Washington_University at Ligget_Field . ("Editorials"...)Heavily armed and mobilized as a fast moving Civil_Defense outfit , 23 operators and office personnel stand ready to move_into action at a minute 's notice '' . (Tristram Coffin, Not to the Swift....)Trig and a very black colored boy from Detroit had killed or put out_of action ten guerrillas by grenades and hand-to-hand fighting . |
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[ noun ] an act by a government body or supranational organization
Examples "recent federal action undermined the segregationist position" "the United Nations must have the power to propose and organize action" "the Union action of emancipating Southern slaves" Related terms |
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[ noun ] a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)
Synonyms Examples "the action of natural forces" "volcanic activity" Used in print (Richard I. McCosh, "Recreation Site Selection"...)Other factors , such as water temperature , depth of water , the fish life it supports , wave action , flooding , etcetera , will affect its recreation value . (Jay C. Harris and John R. Van Wazer, "Detergent...)Cleaning or detergent action is entirely a matter of surfaces . The washing process whereby soils are removed consists basically of applying mechanical action to loosen the dirt particles and dried matter in the presence of water which helps to float off the debris and acts , to some extent , as a dissolving and solvating agent . Then during washing , the greasy soil rolls back at the edges so that emulsified droplets can disengage themselves from the sorbed oil mass , with the aid of mechanical action , and enter the aqueous phase . This hypothesis is evolved in analogy to the demonstrated action of organic actives in detergency . Related terms process phase_change diffusion aeration chromatography transpiration flow washing distillation absorption sorption release fractionation centrifugation decay desorption flocculation ion_exchange dissolution stiffening soak capture temperature_change softening synergy feedback drift oscillation formation antiredeposition electrophoresis vitrification adiabatic_process organic_process opacification curdling nuclear_reaction geological_process rigidification source sink effervescence magnetization ionization leach induction demagnetization capture acidification convection survival condensation sericulture transduction filtration extraction ignition precession_of_the_equinoxes scattering pair_production fossilization stimulation extinction concretion establishment succession oxygenation saltation inactivation materialisation chemical_process hardening radiation absolute_zero |
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[ noun ] (writing) the series of events that form a plot
Examples "his novels always have a lot of action" Used in print (Howard Nemerov, "Themes and Methods: The Early...)And the action is consistently presented with regard for this distinction . (Leo Lemon, "Catch Up With" and "Something to...)The action centers about a group of outspoken and offbeat students sitting around a table in a cafeteria and their collective and ultimately fruitless search for a cup of hot coffee . Related terms |
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[ noun ] the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism
Synonyms Examples "the piano had a very stiff action" Used in print (Edwin Booth, Outlaw Town....)He shook loose straw out of the action , and placed the gun in his holster . Related terms mechanism pump_action gunlock piano_action movement gun keyboard key |
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[ noun ] the trait of being active and energetic and forceful
Examples "a man of action" Used in print (Jack Kaplan, "The Health Machine Menace: Therapy by...)Franklin_D._Lee proved a man of prompt action when Mrs._Claire_Shaefer , accompanied by a friend , visited him in Bakersfield , California , several months ago as a prospective patient . Related terms |
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[ verb ] put in effect
Synonyms Examples "carry out a task" "execute the decision of the people" "He actioned the operation" Related terms complete effect do dispatch run consummate perfect get_over follow_through accomplishment fulfillment execution |
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[ verb ] (law) institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
Examples "He was warned that the district attorney would process him" "She actioned the company for discrimination" Related terms |
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[ noun ] the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field
Examples "the action is no longer in technology stocks but in municipal bonds" "gawkers always try to get as close to the action as possible" Related terms |
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