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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 Some experts see several reasons to be concerned about Trump’s actions: ▪ Elon Musk. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2025 In stereotypical movies, the gallant hero saves the damsel through daring, dramatic action. Amanda Nguyen, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025 As such, Trump may not show much interest in asking Congress to take specific actions during his speech tomorrow. Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2025 He’s already scrapped his plans for taping his ankle in games through the All-Star break, saying the tape job limited his range of motion and his right ankle has responded well enough for game action. Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for action
Recent Examples of Synonyms for action
Noun
  • But as things picked up for Summit, the pandemic hit.
    Katie Bain, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Kicking things off in Hong Kong, teams will be hit with a major twist right out of the gate.
    Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • None of this has been decisively refuted or permanently canceled, but the plot lines have run into complications.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Imagine a system that, every so often, interrupts a predictable rotation with a track a listener might never choose on their own—a musical plot twist that adds a pinch of unpredictability but doesn’t force mismatches.
    Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Its efforts to secure a major TV/streaming distributor led to a lawsuit against the biggest wrestling player, WWE, for interference, which was settled.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025
  • What To Know Perkins Coie filed an emergency lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, asking the court to declare the president's order unconstitutional and grant relief to the law group as the court deems fit.
    Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Herro started slow, finding himself with just two points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field midway through the second quarter.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2025
  • The corn and sugarcane fields of Punjab and Haryana had given way, by the second day, to fields of millet and soybean and lines of orange trees.
    Amitava Kumar, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • From rising costs and regulatory hurdles to shifts in investment behavior, the art market is at an inflection point.
    Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Beyond the tension between Dr. G and King, the ladies also bring up Tea’s own behavior at the sandbar, reminding her that several of them had to hold her back.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Banners hanging in the Broward Estates Elementary School cafeteria tout positive character traits, like ambition and wisdom.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
  • But the ambition was nowhere near as high as the bar set by Kreiz after his arrival.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Best Music Film: A Competitive Race The Best Music Film category has honored a mix of living legends and modern acts in recent years.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • In a remarkable act of creation spurred on by the space race between America and the Soviet Union, science fiction television shows in the 1960s confidently came of age, emerging from campy low-budget offerings of space commandos amid cardboard sets and sparking rockets to more sophisticated fare.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily subscribers and get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.
    Chris Malone Mendez, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Both episodes owe a big spiritual debt to Lost, which also liked to toggle back and forth between the main island story, its characters’ former lives, and all its weird mythology.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Action.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/action. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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