action

Noun
  1. Something done (usually as opposed to something said) (synset 100038116)
    "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"
    is a type of: act, deed, human action, human activity - something that people do or cause to happen
    subtypes:
  2. The state of being active (synset 114030430)
    "his sphere of activity"; "he is out of action"
    tells us about: active - (of e.g. volcanos) erupting or liable to erupt
    is a type of: state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes
    subtypes:
    • agency - the state of being in action or exerting power
    • busyness, hum - the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an activity
    • behavior, behaviour - the action or reaction of something (as a machine or substance) under specified circumstances
    • eructation, eruption, extravasation - (of volcanos) pouring out fumes or lava (or a deposit so formed)
    • operation - the state of being in effect or being operative
    • overdrive - the state of high or excessive activity or productivity or concentration
    • play - a state in which action is feasible
    • swing - a state of steady vigorous action that is characteristic of an activity
    same as: activeness, activity
  3. A military engagement (synset 100955074)
    "he saw action in Korea"
    referred to in: armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation
    is a type of: group action - action taken by a group of people
    subtypes:
    • amphibious landing - a military action of coordinated land, sea, and air forces organized for an invasion
    • battle, conflict, engagement, fight - a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
    • blockade, encirclement - a war measure that isolates some area of importance to the enemy
    • defence, defense, defensive measure - (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
    • electronic warfare, ew - military action involving the use of electromagnetic energy to determine or exploit or reduce or prevent hostile use of the electromagnetic spectrum
    • police action - a local military action without declaration of war; against violators of international peace and order
    • resistance - the military action of resisting the enemy's advance
    • saber rattling, sabre rattling - the ostentatious display of military power (with the implied threat that it might be used)
    • sally, sortie - a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position
    • war, warfare - the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
    same as: military action
  4. A process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings) (synset 113540166)
    "the action of natural forces"; "volcanic activity"
    is a type of: physical process, process - a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states
    subtypes:
    • radiation - the spread of a group of organisms into new habitats
    • absorption - (physics) the process in which incident radiated energy is retained without reflection or transmission on passing through a medium
    • acidification - the process of becoming acid or being converted into an acid
    • adiabatic process - (thermodynamics) any process that occurs without gain or loss of heat
    • aeration - the process of exposing to air (so as to purify)
    • antiredeposition - the process of preventing redeposition
    • capture - any process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle
    • capture - a process whereby a star or planet holds an object in its gravitational field
    • centrifugation - the process of separating substances of different densities by the use of a centrifuge
    • chemical action, chemical change, chemical process - (chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved
    • chromatography - a process used for separating mixtures by virtue of differences in absorbency
    • concretion - the formation of stonelike objects within a body organ (e.g., the kidneys)
    • condensation - the process of changing from a gaseous to a liquid or solid state
    • convection - (meteorology) the vertical movement of heat or other properties by massive motion within the atmosphere
    • clotting, coagulation, curdling - the process of forming semisolid lumps in a liquid
    • decay - the process of gradually becoming inferior
    • demagnetisation, demagnetization - the process of removing magnetization
    • desorption - changing from an adsorbed state on a surface to a gaseous or liquid state
    • diffusion - (physics) the process in which there is movement of a substance from an area of high concentration of that substance to an area of lower concentration
    • disintegration, dissolution - separation into component parts
    • distillation, distillment - the process of purifying a liquid by boiling it and condensing its vapors
    • drift - the gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane)
    • effervescence - the process of bubbling as gas escapes
    • cataphoresis, dielectrolysis, electrophoresis, ionophoresis - the motion of charged particles in a colloid under the influence of an electric field; particles with a positive charge go to the cathode and negative to the anode
    • ecesis, establishment - (ecology) the process by which a plant or animal becomes established in a new habitat
    • extinction - the reduction of the intensity of radiation as a consequence of absorption and radiation
    • extraction - the process of obtaining something from a mixture or compound by chemical or physical or mechanical means
    • feedback - the process in which part of the output of a system is returned to its input in order to regulate its further output
    • filtration - the process whereby fluids pass through a filter or a filtering medium
    • flocculation - the process of flocculating; forming woolly cloudlike aggregations
    • flow - any uninterrupted stream or discharge
    • formation - natural process that causes something to form
    • fossilisation, fossilization - the process of fossilizing a plant or animal that existed in some earlier age; the process of being turned to stone
    • geologic process, geological process - (geology) a natural process whereby geological features are modified
    • curing, hardening, set, solidification, solidifying - the process of becoming hard or solid by cooling or drying or crystallization
    • inactivation - the process of rendering inactive
    • ion exchange - a process in which ions are exchanged between a solution and an insoluble (usually resinous) solid; widely used in industrial processing
    • ionisation, ionization - the process of ionizing; the formation of ions by separating atoms or molecules or radicals or by adding or subtracting electrons from atoms by strong electric fields in a gas
    • leach, leaching - the process of leaching
    • magnetic induction, magnetisation, magnetization - the process that makes a substance magnetic (temporarily or permanently)
    • materialisation, materialization - the process of coming into being; becoming reality
    • nuclear reaction - (physics) a process that alters the energy or structure or composition of atomic nuclei
    • opacification - the process of becoming cloudy or opaque
    • oscillation - the process of oscillating between states
    • oxygenation - the process of providing or combining or treating with oxygen
    • pair creation, pair formation, pair production - the transformation of a gamma-ray photon into an electron and a positron when the photon passes close to an atomic nucleus
    • phase change, phase transition, physical change, state change - a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition
    • precession of the equinoxes - a slow westward shift of the equinoxes along the plane of the ecliptic caused by precession of the Earth's axis of rotation
    • release - a process that liberates or discharges something
    • saltation - (geology) the leaping movement of sand or soil particles as they are transported in a fluid medium over an uneven surface
    • scattering - the physical process in which particles are deflected haphazardly as a result of collisions
    • sericulture - raising silkworms in order to obtain raw silk
    • sink - (technology) a process that acts to absorb or remove energy or a substance from a system
    • soak, soakage, soaking - the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid)
    • softening - the process of becoming softer
    • sorption - the process in which one substance takes up or holds another (by either absorption or adsorption)
    • source - (technology) a process by which energy or a substance enters a system
    • rigidification, rigidifying, stiffening - the process of becoming stiff or rigid
    • stimulation - (physiology) the effect of a stimulus (on nerves or organs etc.)
    • ecological succession, succession - (ecology) the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established
    • natural selection, selection, survival, survival of the fittest - a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment
    • synergism, synergy - the working together of two things (muscles or drugs for example) to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects
    • temperature change - a process whereby the degree of hotness of a body (or medium) changes
    • transduction - the process whereby a transducer accepts energy in one form and gives back related energy in a different form
    • transpiration - the passage of gases through fine tubes because of differences in pressure or temperature
    • vitrification - the process of becoming vitreous
    same as: activity, natural action, natural process
  5. The series of events that form a plot (synset 106385136)
    "his novels always have a lot of action"
    is a type of: plot - the story that is told in a novel or play or movie etc.
  6. The trait of being active and energetic and forceful (synset 104843181)
    "a man of action"
    is a type of: drive - the trait of being highly motivated
  7. The operating part that transmits power to a mechanism (synset 102680572)
    "the piano had a very stiff action"
    is a type of: mechanism - device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function
    subtypes:
    • firing mechanism, gunlock - the action that ignites the charge in a firearm
    • movement - the driving and regulating parts of a mechanism (as of a watch or clock)
    • piano action - action consisting of a system of levers that move a felt hammer to strike the strings when a key is depressed
    • pump action, slide action - action mechanism in a modern rifle or shotgun; a back and forward motion of a sliding lever ejects the empty shell case and cocks the firearm and loads a new round
    has: key - a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed
    is a part of:
    • gun - a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
    • keyboard - device consisting of a set of keys on a piano or organ or typewriter or typesetting machine or computer or the like
    same as: 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 (synset 101184392)
    referred to in: jurisprudence, law - the collection of rules imposed by authority
    is a type of: legal proceeding, proceeding, proceedings - (law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
    subtypes:
    • antitrust case - a legal action brought against parties who are charged with limiting free competition in the market place
    • civil action - legal action to protect a private civil right or to compel a civil remedy (as distinguished from criminal prosecution)
    • counterclaim - a claim filed in opposition to another claim in a legal action
    • custody case - a legal action to determine custody (usually of children following a divorce)
    • lis pendens - a pending lawsuit
    • criminal prosecution, prosecution - the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior
    • test case, test suit - a representative legal action whose outcome is likely to become a precedent
    same as: action at law, legal action
  9. An act by a government body or supranational organization (synset 101184802)
    "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"
    is a type of: group action - action taken by a group of people
  10. The most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field (synset 100577488)
    "the action is no longer in technology stocks but in municipal bonds"; "gawkers always try to get as close to the action as possible"
    is a type of: work - activity directed toward making or doing something
Verb
  1. Institute legal proceedings against;
    File a suit against (synset 202588127)
    "He was warned that the district attorney would process him"; "She actioned the company for discrimination"
    is a type of: challenge - issue a challenge to
    subtypes: expedite - process fast and efficiently
    same as: litigate, process, sue
    verb group: litigate - engage in legal proceedings
  2. Put in effect (synset 201644397)
    "carry out a task"; "execute the decision of the people"; "He actioned the operation"
    is a type of:
    subtypes:
    same as: accomplish, carry out, carry through, execute, fulfil, fulfill
    verb group: carry out, follow out, follow through, follow up, go through with, implement, put through - pursue to a conclusion or bring to a successful issue

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