Background for action

action

/ˈæk.ʃən/

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noun

Something done so as to accomplish a purpose.

Examples :

"The student's action of studying diligently improved her grades. "

action essential

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noun

A way of motion or functioning.

Examples :

"Knead bread with a rocking action."

action way function physiology physics process ability essential

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noun

Fast-paced activity.

Examples :

"a movie full of exciting action"

action entertainment essential

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noun

A mechanism; a moving part or assembly.

Examples :

"a rifle action"

machine technical part essential

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noun

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.

Examples :

"The piano's action is very smooth, making it easy to play. "

music machine device part action technical essential

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noun

The distance separating the strings and the fretboard on a guitar.

Examples :

"To get a good tone, the guitarist needed to adjust the action of their acoustic guitar. "

music technical essential

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noun

Sexual intercourse.

Examples :

"She gave him some action."

sex action essential

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noun

Examples :

"He saw some action in the Korean War."

military war action essential

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noun

A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio).

Examples :

"The student filed an action in court to challenge the unfair grading policy. "

law action essential

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noun

A mapping from a pairing of mathematical objects to one of them, respecting their individual structures. The pairing is typically a Cartesian product or a tensor product. The object that is not part of the output is said to act on the other object. In any given context, action is used as an abbreviation for a more fully named notion, like group action or left group action.

Examples :

"The teacher's action on the class assignment, grading each student's work, followed the school's established rubric. "

math theory logic group abstract structure function essential

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noun

The product of energy and time, especially the product of the Lagrangian and time.

Examples :

"The action of studying for the exam required a lot of energy and time. "

physics theory energy time essential

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noun

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.

Examples :

"The action in the school play was about a group of friends who tried to save their school. "

story entertainment literature action essential

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noun

(painting and sculpture) The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted.

Examples :

"The statue's action portrayed a mother's tender embrace of her child. "

art body action appearance essential

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noun

Spin put on the bowling ball.

Examples :

"The bowler put a lot of action on the bowling ball, aiming for a strike. "

sport action essential

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noun

A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds.

Examples :

"My grandfather owns several actions in the local bank. "

business finance economy essential

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verb

To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.

Examples :

"The teacher asked the students to action the plan for the school fundraiser. "

action business essential

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verb

To initiate a legal action against someone.

Examples :

"The student decided to action a complaint against the teacher for unfair grading. "

law action essential

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interjection

Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually an act or scene of a theatric performance.

Examples :

"The director yelled ‘Action!’ before the camera started rolling."

entertainment stage action exclamation essential