Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use action in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, interjection, adjective

Action means the effort of performing or doing something. Example: “Knead bread with a rocking action.”

Examples of action by meaning

nounA way of motion or functioning.

  • Knead bread with a rocking action.

nounFast-paced activity.

  • a movie full of exciting action

nounThe 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.

nounA physical mechanism of a firearm or other device.

  • When at length he released the left hand it seemed for an almost perceptible moment that the action hung.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards...

nounThe mechanism, that is the set of moving mechanical parts, of a keyboard instrument, like a piano, which transfers the...

  • The run in bar 12 is almost impossible with this piano's heavy action.

nounThe distance separating the strings and the fingerboard on a string instrument.

  • You're getting fret buzz because the action is too low.

nounSexual intercourse.

  • She gave him some action.
  • I hope to get a bit of action with the hot guy from the club.

nounCombat.

  • He saw some action in the Korean War.

More sentences with action

  • The project manager is metricking the closure of the action items.From the entry metric
  • Her actions were clearly accessory because they helped him commit and probably also conceal the crime.From the entry accessory
  • The cold truth is that states rarely undertake military action unless their national interests are at stake.From the entry cold
  • What a bore that movie was! There was no action, and the dialogue was totally uncreative.From the entry bore
  • He was held responsible for the actions of those under his command.From the entry hold
  • When the opportunity presented itself, no feasible course of action suggested itself (to us).From the entry itself
  • The intent of the aphorism "think globally, act locally" was to spur action by localizing the challenge.From the entry localize
  • You committed terrible actions — to wit, murder and theft — and should be punished accordingly.From the entry wit
  • His actions caused alarm among all the other people in the store, who hurried to leave.From the entry alarm
  • My tensions with Eric over his alleged past actions have been fully resolved.From the entry tension
  • Although politically he claims to be a Democrat, his actions are more Republican.From the entry politically
  • She makes pleasant conversation, but she's kind of a flake when it comes time for action.From the entry flake
  • It was such a treat to see her back in action on the London stage.From the entry treat
  • She put forth several allegations regarding her partner in hopes of discrediting his actions.From the entry allegation
  • His heartless actions and cold manner left her saddened and feeling alone.From the entry heartless
  • He didn't feel even an ounce of regret for his actions.From the entry ounce
  • The politician's recent actions are an effort to forge a relationship with undecided voters.From the entry forge
  • Please take the issue of database maintenance fees as an action item for next week.From the entry action item
  • If we animate the model, we can see the complexity of the action.From the entry animate
  • When they finally admitted their actions, Anne felt vindication and walked with pride once again.From the entry vindication
  • The battle was lost due to the actions of insidious defectors.From the entry insidious
  • We are trying to decide what the most ethical course of action would be.From the entry ethical
  • Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jackie Chan are all famous action stars.From the entry action star
  • The sense of smell can be a subconscious influence on our actions.From the entry subconscious
  • Because of the president's lame duck status, the presidency was often hampered by congressional actions.From the entry presidency
  • If someone strikes you, then you have a cause of action for battery.From the entry cause of action
  • The Three Stooges are known for their lowbrow slapstick humor consisting of foolish action for the masses.From the entry lowbrow
  • He scored a meaty role in the film, with plenty of action and dialogue.From the entry meaty
  • After a month in hospital, the reporter is back in action.From the entry in action
  • He argued with the judge contemptuously, showing no respect or remorse for his actions.From the entry contemptuously
  • Herbert was able to novelize his experiences as a soldier into a compelling action drama.From the entry novelize

Meaning of action

  1. noun The effort of performing or doing something.
  2. noun Something done, often so as to accomplish a purpose.
  3. noun A way of motion or functioning.

Full definition of action

Questions about action in a sentence

How do you use action in a sentence?
Action is used as a noun, interjection and adjective. For example: “Knead bread with a rocking action.”
What is a short sentence with action?
“She gave him some action.”
What does action mean?
Action means the effort of performing or doing something.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: action (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use action in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/action. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.