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as in plot
the unfolding of events in a dramatic or literary work the mystery writer displays a sure hand in managing the novel's complicated but never incoherent action

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in lawsuit
a court case for enforcing a right or claim filed an action in county court to recover his lawn mower from his neighbor, who claims he "gave" it to her

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in field
active fighting during the course of a war the battalion saw action soon after it arrived in France

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of action Rotating across multiple spots in live action is crucial when facing shifting offensive formations. Ben Standig, New York Times, 19 June 2025 Saying that democracy needs judges and prosecutors to carry out the rule of law, Obama said that some recent actions by the federal government have pushed the limits of democracy. Christopher Keating Hartford Courant, Arkansas Online, 19 June 2025 All of this runs on a Jetson AGX Orin module, making the robot responsive and ready for action. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2025 The judges referred the lawyers in both cases to their professional regulators, but did not take more serious action. Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for action
Recent Examples of Synonyms for action
Noun
  • Miranda is so full of possibility and adventure and what’s going to come next, and Ada is trying so hard to be that way and to fill the deep well of her sadness and her loneliness and her bereavement with things like the Temperance movement.
    Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 23 June 2025
  • There are big notes of sweet fruit, caramelized brown sugar, black pepper, rum raisin, and cinnamon leading things off over a faint wisp of smoldering campfire which lies just underneath.
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • That latest dot plot carried preludes to stagflation—among the most catastrophic economic scenarios.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 June 2025
  • That was half an hour less than No Time To Die and the plot was as creaky as Daniel Craig’s last outing.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was added Friday to a lawsuit against his former employer, the University of Michigan, and a former assistant football coach accused of hacking into computer systems to acquire photos of college athletes.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2025
  • Advocates immediately filed a class-action lawsuit to block Trump's plan, which would end automatic citizenship for babies born in the United States unless their parents were also citizens or legal, permanent residents.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • If gravity interacts with the Higgs field under these conditions, this interaction could change how gravity behaves.
    Victoria Corless, Space.com, 24 June 2025
  • But a college degree is not necessary to earn a good salary in some fields.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • Leaders should stop trying to contain this behavior and instead find ways to guide and amplify it.
    Peter Bendor-Samuel, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
  • The restaurant in The Bear is driven and nearly destroyed by dysfunctional behavior.
    Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • Nevertheless, Infantino’s remarks show ambition to enact what would be a seismic change to how professional men’s soccer has operated in the United States.
    Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • Advertisement Since a trip to China in 2018, you’ve been outspoken about the threat posed by China’s AI ambitions.
    Harry Booth, Time, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • Grace reminds us that spaceflight is not just a feat of engineering, but an act of goodwill to the benefit of every human everywhere.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 June 2025
  • The group relocated briefly to San Francisco in 1966, playing gigs and honing their live act.
    Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • In the box office smash, the talented singer and actress portrays Elphaba, the green witch from the famed Wizard of Oz story.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • Pic is based on the real-life story of Politkovskaya’s pioneering crusade for an independent voice in Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Action.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/action. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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