I. ac ‧ tion 1 S1 W1 /ˈækʃ ə n/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ act , ↑ action ≠ ↑ inaction , ↑ activity ≠ ↑ inactivity , ↑ reaction , ↑ interaction , ↑ overacting ; adjective : ↑ acting , ↑ active ≠ ↑ inactive ; verb : ↑ act ≠ ↑ overact ; adverb : ↑ actively ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin actio , from agere ; ⇨ ↑ ACT 1 ]
1 . DOING SOMETHING [uncountable] the process of doing something, especially in order to achieve a particular thing:
The government must take action (=do something) now to stop the rise in violent crime.
action on
Environmental groups want tougher action on pollution from cars.
She was looking forward to putting her ideas into action (=doing the things she had planned) .
Ambulance crews are ready to spring into action (=suddenly start doing something) if anything goes wrong during the race.
2 . SOMETHING DONE [countable] something that someone does
quick/swift/prompt action
Her prompt actions probably saved my life.
The child could not be held responsible for his actions (=he was too young to be blamed for them) .
defend/justify your action(s)
The chief of police tried to justify his actions.
3 . in action someone or something that is in action is doing the job or activity they are trained or designed to do:
photos of ski jumpers in action
see/watch something/somebody in action
I’d like to see the new computer system in action.
4 . out of action
a) broken and not working:
The photocopier is out of action again.
b) injured and unable to do anything
put/keep somebody out of action
The injury will keep him out of action for a month.
5 . FIGHTING [uncountable] fighting during a war:
There have been reports of widespread enemy action in the area.
killed/wounded in action (=killed or wounded while fighting)
His father was killed in action in Vietnam.
530 servicemen were reported missing in action (=they were never seen again after a battle) .
The men were sent into action with little or no training.
He had seen action (=been involved in fighting) in Korea.
6 . LEGAL [uncountable and countable] a legal or formal process to decide whether someone has done something wrong:
They are threatening to take legal action against the hospital (=start a court case against them) .
The director faces disciplinary action (=official action to punish him) .
The matter is now the subject of a court action (=a court case) .
The students agreed to drop their action (=decided not to continue with a court case or an official complaint) .
The sisters brought a libel action against the newspaper (=started a court case) .
7 . EXCITEMENT [uncountable]
a) informal exciting things that are happening:
There hasn’t been much action around here for months.
New York is where all the action is.
b) an action film has a lot of exciting scenes in it, in which people fight, chase, and kill each other:
Gibson became famous in action movies.
a TV action hero
8 . THE EVENTS IN A STORY/FILM ETC the action the events in a story, film, play etc:
Most of the action takes place in San Francisco.
The action opens (=starts) in a barbershop.
9 . MOVEMENT [uncountable and countable] the way something moves or works
action of
the action of the heart
a smooth braking action
10 . EFFECT [uncountable] the effect that a substance, especially a chemical, has on something
action of
The drug blocks the action of the cancer gene.
action on/upon
the action of alcohol on the liver
11 . action group/committee etc a group formed to change a social or political situation – often used in names:
the Child Poverty Action Group
12 . a piece/slice of the action informal an opportunity to be involved in an event or activity, especially one that will be enjoyable or will make money:
If you want a slice of the action, tickets may still be available.
13 . actions speak louder than words used to say that you are judged by what you do, and not by what you say
14 . action! used by film ↑ director s to give the instruction to begin filming:
Lights, camera, action!
⇨ ↑ affirmative action
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ take action (=do something to deal with a problem)
The government must take action to control inflation.
▪ demand/call for action (=ask forcefully)
Voters are demanding tougher action on gun crime.
▪ swing/spring/leap into action (=suddenly start doing something)
The fire crew immediately swung into action.
▪ put something into action (=start doing something you have planned to do)
She was looking forward to putting her plans into action.
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The committee uses the expertise of local organisations to put these ideas into action.
■ adjectives
▪ immediate/prompt/swift action
The public wants immediate action to stop the terrorists.
▪ urgent action (=that needs to be done immediately)
The Opposition called for urgent action to reduce unemployment.
▪ firm/tough action
We need firm action to deal with the problem.
▪ decisive action (=that has a big effect on the way something develops)
We are urging the international community to take decisive action on debt relief.
▪ drastic action (=that has a very severe effect)
The President decided to take drastic action.
▪ further action
No further action is necessary.
▪ direct action (=that is aimed at making a government or company do something)
In a bid to stop whale hunting, Greenpeace have threatened direct action.
▪ political action
Some forms of political action are more effective than others.
▪ industrial/strike action (=that workers take in order to protest about pay, working conditions etc)
The miners voted in favour of industrial action.
▪ joint action (=that two or more countries, organizations etc take together)
Community leaders agreed to take joint action on scientific, social and environmental issues.
■ phrases
▪ a course of action
Have you decided on a course of action?
▪ a plan of action
The General outlined his plan of action for the campaign.
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Environmental groups have put forward an action plan.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 5)
■ phrases
▪ be killed/wounded in action (=killed or wounded while fighting)
Four of her sons have been killed in action.
▪ be missing in action (=used to say that a soldier has not returned after a battle and their body has not been found)
A further 9,000 allied military personnel are still officially listed as missing in action.
■ verbs
▪ see action (=be involved in fighting)
By the time he was 20 he’d seen action in the Gulf War and Bosnia.
▪ go into action
American soldiers are going into action against the Mujahadin.
▪ be sent into action
He declared that French soldiers will not be sent into action in Iraq.
■ adjectives
▪ military action
America is not ruling out military action against Iran.
▪ enemy action
The ship was damaged by enemy action.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 6)
■ adjectives
▪ legal action
The singer threatened legal action against the magazine.
▪ court action
The couple are still considering whether to take court action.
▪ a libel action (=taken against someone who has writen or printed untrue statements about you)
Judge Johan Kreigler dismissed a libel action brought against two newspapers.
▪ a civil action (=involving business or property, rather than a crime)
The victim can seek damages in a civil action.
■ verbs
▪ take legal action
He is within his rights to take legal action.
▪ face legal action
The council demanded that we remove the posters, or face legal action.
▪ bring a legal action
Justice Mayor ruled that she cannot bring a legal action for damages against the plaintiff.
• • •
THESAURUS (for Meaning 2)
▪ action noun [countable] something that someone does:
He is responsible for his own actions.
|
They refused to give a reason for their actions.
▪ act noun [countable] a particular type of action:
violent acts
| act of violence/kindness/defiance etc :
I believe the killing was an act of desperation.
▪ activities noun [plural] things that people do, especially for enjoyment or to achieve an aim:
leisure activities
|
political activities
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Surveys may not give a true picture of people’s activities.
▪ behaviour British English , behavior American English noun [uncountable] the things that someone does and the way they behave:
Do you think that advertisements really influence people’s behaviour?
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The man’s behaviour seemed rather odd.
▪ move noun [countable] something that you do in order to achieve something:
Her decision to sell the shares had been a smart move.
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It’s a bold move to start a business in the current economic climate.
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He needed time to figure out his next move.
▪ step noun [countable] one of a series of things that you do in order to deal with a problem or to succeed:
The first step is to make sure we have got funding for the project.
|
We must take steps to make sure that this does not happen again.
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This is an important step towards peace.
▪ measure noun [countable] an official action that is intended to deal with a particular problem:
There are increased security measures at airports.
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The school was closed as a precautionary measure following a chemical leak.
▪ gesture noun [countable] something that you do to show how you feel about someone or something:
Do you think it would be a nice gesture to send her some flowers?
| gesture of goodwill/solidarity/defiance :
The company gave us £100 as a gesture of goodwill.
▪ deed noun [countable] especially literary an action, especially one that is very good or very bad:
evil deeds
|
heroic deeds
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This is my good deed for the day.
▪ exploits noun [plural] formal exciting or brave actions:
daring exploits
|
His exploits were legendary.
▪ feat noun [countable] something someone does that people admire because you need a lot of skill, courage, or strength to do it:
Completing a marathon is a remarkable feat for a six-year-old.
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The bridge is a great feat of engineering.
II. action 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive] formal
to do a specific thing that needs to be done, especially after discussing it:
How are we actually going to action these objectives?