From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
action
n 1: something done (usually as opposed to something said);
"there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"
2: the state of being active; "his sphere of activity"; "he is
out of action" [syn: action, activity, activeness]
[ant: inaction, inactiveness, inactivity]
3: a military engagement; "he saw action in Korea" [syn:
military action, action]
4: a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by
the intent of human beings); "the action of natural forces";
"volcanic activity" [syn: natural process, {natural
action}, action, activity]
5: the series of events that form a plot; "his novels always
have a lot of action"
6: the trait of being active and energetic and forceful; "a man
of action"
7: the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism; "the
piano had a very stiff action" [syn: action, {action
mechanism}]
8: 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 [syn:
legal action, action, action at law]
9: an act by a government body or supranational organization;
"recent federal action undermined the segregationist
position"; "the United Nations must have the power to propose
and organize action without being hobbled by irrelevant
issues"; "the Union action of emancipating Southern slaves"
10: the most important or interesting work or activity in a
specific area or field; "the action is no longer in
technology stocks but in municipal bonds"; "gawkers always
try to get as close to the action as possible"
v 1: institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against;
"He was warned that the district attorney would process
him"; "She actioned the company for discrimination" [syn:
action, sue, litigate, process]
2: put in effect; "carry out a task"; "execute the decision of
the people"; "He actioned the operation" [syn: {carry
through}, accomplish, execute, carry out, action,
fulfill, fulfil]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Action \Ac"tion\, n. [OF. action, L. actio, fr. agere to do. See
Act.]
1. A process or condition of acting or moving, as opposed to
rest; the doing of something; exertion of power or force,
as when one body acts on another; the effect of power
exerted on one body by another; agency; activity;
operation; as, the action of heat; a man of action.
[1913 Webster]
One wise in council, one in action brave. --Pope.
[1913 Webster]
2. An act; a thing done; a deed; an enterprise. (pl.):
Habitual deeds; hence, conduct; behavior; demeanor.
[1913 Webster]
The Lord is a Good of knowledge, and by him actions
are weighed. --1 Sam. ii.
3.
[1913 Webster]
3. 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.
[1913 Webster]
4. Movement; as, the horse has a spirited action.
[1913 Webster]
5. (Mech.) Effective motion; also, mechanism; as, the breech
action of a gun.
[1913 Webster]
6. (Physiol.) Any one of the active processes going on in an
organism; the performance of a function; as, the action of
the heart, the muscles, or the gastric juice.
[1913 Webster]
7. (Orat.) Gesticulation; the external deportment of the
speaker, or the suiting of his attitude, voice, gestures,
and countenance, to the subject, or to the feelings.
[1913 Webster]
8. (Paint. & Sculp.) The attitude or position of the several
parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or
passion depicted.
[1913 Webster]
9. (Law)
(a) A suit or process, by which a demand is made of a
right in a court of justice; in a broad sense, a
judicial proceeding for the enforcement or protection
of a right, the redress or prevention of a wrong, or
the punishment of a public offense.
(b) A right of action; as, the law gives an action for
every claim.
[1913 Webster]
10. (Com.) A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock
company, or in the public funds; hence, in the plural,
equivalent to stocks. [A Gallicism] [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
The Euripus of funds and actions. --Burke.
[1913 Webster]
11. An engagement between troops in war, whether on land or
water; a battle; a fight; as, a general action, a partial
action.
[1913 Webster]
12. (Music) The mechanical contrivance by means of which the
impulse of the player's finger is transmitted to the
strings of a pianoforte or to the valve of an organ pipe.
--Grove.
[1913 Webster]
Chose in action. (Law) See Chose.
Quantity of action (Physics), the product of the mass of a
body by the space it runs through, and its velocity.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: Action, Act.
Usage: In many cases action and act are synonymous; but some
distinction is observable. Action involves the mode or
process of acting, and is usually viewed as occupying
some time in doing. Act has more reference to the
effect, or the operation as complete.
To poke the fire is an act, to reconcile friends
who have quarreled is a praiseworthy action.
--C. J. Smith.
[1913 Webster]