action

action
noun
1 process of doing sth
ADJECTIVE
decisive, effective, firm, strong, vigorous

He urged the government to take decisive action against music piracy.

aggressive, violent
immediate, prompt, swift, urgent
appropriate

Unless appropriate action is taken, our sales will decline.

drastic, emergency

The situation calls for drastic action.

collective, concerted, joint, united (esp. BrE)
direct, positive, unilateral
corrective, evasive, remedial
pre-emptive, preventative, preventive
disciplinary, legal, military, strike

Disciplinary action will be taken against students who cheat.

(see also industrial action)
congressional (esp. AmE), government, governmental, legislative, political, state (esp. AmE)
affirmative (esp. AmE)

Affirmative action was most successful in creating opportunities for college-educated women.

VERB + ACTION
take

We'll take whatever action is necessary.

call for
agree on

The leaders have agreed on joint action to combat terrorism.

leap into, spring into, swing into

The emergency services swung into action as soon as the disaster was reported.

carry out, perform

Only the priest can perform these actions.

galvanize sb into, prod sb into, spur sb into

We have to galvanize people into action.

bring sth into, put sth into

We need to put these ideas into action.

keep sb/sth out of, put sb/sth out of

A fire has put the factory out of action.

PREPOSITION
in action

I have not yet seen the machines in action.

out of action

He is out of action following an ankle injury.

action against

action against drug dealers

action on

The government is taking strong action on refugees.

PHRASES
actions speak louder than words (saying)
a course of action

Is this the best course of action to follow?

2 legal case
ADJECTIVE
court
civil, criminal, libel, tort
class (AmE)
VERB + ACTION
bring, file, initiate, take

I considered taking legal action.

They took out a libel action against the newspaper's owners.

Her husband brought a civil action against her after their divorce.

PREPOSITION
action against
3 fighting
ADJECTIVE
combat (esp. AmE), enemy

He was killed during enemy action.

terrorist
covert

paramilitary covert action teams working overseas

VERB + ACTION
see

I never saw action during the war.

PHRASES
killed in action, missing in action, wounded in action

He was reported missing in action.


Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • action — ac·tion n [Latin actio legal proceeding, from agere to do, carry out, initiate legal proceedings] 1 a: 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 …   Law dictionary

  • action — ACTION. sub. f. L opération d un agent. L action du feu sur le bois. L action du Soleil sur les plantes. L action de l esprit. Le feu, par la violence de son action, vitrifie les métaux. Une action vive, soudaine, momentanée.Action, se dit aussi… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • Action — may refer to:Music and culture* Action (philosophy), something a person can do * Action (music), a characteristic of a stringed instrument * Action (album), a 2004 album by Punchline * Action (B z album), a 2007 album by B z * Action (piano), the …   Wikipedia

  • Action 52 — North American NES cover art. Developer(s) …   Wikipedia

  • action — Action. s. f. Maniere dont une cause agit, & par laquelle elle produit son effet. L action du feu reduit le bois en cendres. Action, signifie aussi, Acte, fait, oeuvre. Bonne action. belle action. mauvaise action. vilaine action. action bien… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Action! — was a programming language and integrated editor, debugger, and 6502 code generating compiler, editor for the Atari 8 bit family of microcomputers. Action! was created by Clinton Parker and released on cartridge by Optimized Systems Software in… …   Wikipedia

  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • action — et besongne, Pragma, Actio. Action et droit de poursuyvre en justice ce qui nous est deu, Actio. Action de grace, Gratulatio, Gratiarum actio. Action personnelle, Condictio, Actio in personam. Action réelle, Actio in rem. Action petitoire,… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Action 52-in-1 — Action 52 Action 52 Éditeur Active Enterprises Développeur FarSight Studios (MD) Active Enterprises …   Wikipédia en Français

  • action — 1 Action, act, deed agree in designating something done or effected. Action refers primarily to the process of acting; act and deed to the result, the thing done. An action is usually regarded as occupying some time and involving more than one… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • action — [ak′shən] n. [ME accion < OFr action < L actio < pp. of agere: see ACT1] 1. the doing of something; state of being in motion or of working 2. an act or thing done 3. [pl.] behavior; habitual conduct 4. habitual activity characterized by… …   English World dictionary

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