Vocabulary: Action Verbs in English

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Action verbs express an action whether it be physical or mental. An action verb explains what the subject of the sentence is doing or has done.

Common Action Verbs in English

List of Common Action Verbs in English

• carry – Gina was carrying a small bunch of flowers.
• come – Can you come here for a minute?
• ask – Don’t ask him – he won’t know.
• bake – I’m baking some bread.
• bite – The dog bit him and made his hand bleed.
• brush – He brushed the tears from his eyes.
• comb – Melanie ran upstairs to comb her hair.
• cook – I’m usually too tired to cook an evening meal.
• march – The men were so tired they found it hard to march.
• float – I wasn’t sure if the raft would float.
• eat – A small girl was eating an ice cream.
• laugh – Maria looked at him and laughed.
• mix – Oil and water don’t mix.
• dance – The bride danced with her father.
• cry – I just couldn’t stop crying.
• drive – I am planning to drive to Morocco next year.
• cut – Do you want me to cut the cake?
• close – Let me do the car door – it won’t close properly.
• build – They needed $3 million to build the bridge.
• dream – I dreamt about you last night.
• pack – You’d better pack your bags. We’re leaving in an hour.
• pick – We picked some blackberries to eat on the way.
• sing – She can sing beautifully.
• sit – She’s the girl who sits next to me at school.
• take – My job has taken me all over the world.
• write – He wrote some very famous books.
• turn – He turned around to look at Kim.
• walk – I walked all the way to San Rafael.
• sleep – I usually sleep on my back.
• read – She picked up the letter and read it.
• work – She works as a consultant for a design company.
• play – Kids were playing and chasing each other.
• go – We’re going to Canada in the summer.
• open – He opened the drawer of the desk.
• run – He was running towards the door.
• stop – The doctor advised me to stop the medication.
• wash – I’m just going to wash my hands.
• set – Mark filled the pan and set it on the stove.
• ride – I ride a bicycle to work every day.
• pull – He pulled her down into her seat.

Action Verbs in English | Images