Check out our guide with action verbs to add to your next piece of writing; create impactful storylines that keep your readers hooked with these powerful verbs.
Action verbs add an extra “oomph!” to your writing, helping you to describe the many things your characters will achieve throughout the story. Learning how to use action verbs will enhance your writing, help to define your characters, and allow your readers to grasp the plot points with ease.
However, action verbs aren’t just for story writing. They’re also ideal to use in your resume when applying for jobs. Check out what Indeed.com says about using action verbs:
“The action verbs give the reader a clear understanding of what is happening. When used within a resume or cover letter, action verbs help the application package stand out from other submissions.”
So, it’s important to learn the correct action verbs to use in your writing to make a lasting impact on the readers. Whether you’re working on a fiction book, an essay, or sprucing up your resume, we’ve got everything you need to level up your writing. If you’re interested in this topic, check out our list of feeling words for more!
What Are Action Verbs?
Action verbs, a.k.a. dynamic verbs, express an action a person takes. They are one of two major categories of verbs in English (the other one being stative verbs). In other words, active verbs describe what a person is doing or has done and are, consequently, often used in business.
One typical example where action verbs shine is the bullet statement format used when the writer wants to describe their accomplishments using a bare minimum of words. However, remember that not all action verbs are made equal. The words that cement the image of the writer accomplishing something instead of merely being in charge of it are the best choice.
E.g., “handling” is not as illustrative as “executing.” Precision takes precedence and makes a lasting impact. Therefore, pick your verbs carefully. You might also be interested in our list of boring words and phrases to avoid in your writing.
Action Verbs Printable
| Accomplish | Diagnose | Memorize |
| Achieve | Direct | Merge |
| Actualize | Discover | Moderate |
| Adapt | Document | Modify |
| Address | Draft | Mold |
| Adjust | Dream | Motivate |
| Administer | Drive | Network |
| Advance | Edit | Operate |
| Advise | Empower | Orchestrate |
| Aid | Enable | Organize |
| Amplify | Encourage | Outline |
| Analyze | Enforce | Outperform |
| Appraise | Engineer | Overhaul |
| Appreciate | Enhance | Oversee |
| Arrange | Establish | Participate |
| Ask | Estimate | Partner |
| Assess | Evaluate | Perform |
| Exceed | Examine | Persuade |
| Assign | Plan | Pioneer |
| Assist | Execute | Play |
| Attain | Expand | Ponder |
| Audit | Expedite | Prepare |
| Author | Explain | Present |
| Authorize | Explore | Preside |
| Balance | Facilitate | Probe |
| Boost | Fear | Project |
| Budget | Forecast | Promote |
| Build | Forget | Proofread |
| Calculate | Form | Propose |
| Capitalize | Formalize | Publicize |
| Chair | Formulate | Publish |
| Chart | Foster | Qualify |
| Close | Found | Raise |
| Coach | Fulfill | Reach |
| Co-author | Further | Realize |
| Code | Gather | Reconcile |
| Collaborate | Grow | Reduce |
| Collect | Guide | Remember |
| Communicate | Head | Report |
| Complete | Help | Research |
| Compose (oneself) | Illustrate | Resolve |
| Compute | Imagine | Revamp |
| Conceive | implement | Review |
| Conceptualize | Improve | Revitalize |
| Consider | Individualize | Spearhead |
| Consolidate | Initiate | Stimulate |
| Construct | Inspect | Streamline |
| Convert | Institute | Strengthen |
| Convince | Instruct | Supervise |
| Cooperate | Interpret | Support |
| Coordinate | Introduce | Surpass |
| Co-produce (Coproduce) | Invest | Survey |
| Correspond | Investigate | Sustain |
| Create | Join | Team (up) |
| Curate | Joke | Test (out) |
| Customize | Kick | Think |
| Debug | Launch | Train |
| Decrease | Learn | Transform |
| Define | Lecture | Translate |
| Delegate | Lobby | Tutor |
| Deliver | Lower | Update |
| Demonstrate | Maintain | Upgrade |
| Deploy | Manage | Visualize |
| Design | Map | Write |
| Develop | Maximize | Yield |
| Devise | Measure |
Mental Action Verbs
Mental action verbs describe intellectual or inner dynamic actions. Discerning them can be challenging as many stative verbs describe thoughts and opinions. Therefore, we’re starting with some notable examples of mental action verbs. You might also be interested in our homophones word list.
1. Analyze
He was analyzing testimonials all night and was late for work in the morning.
2. Appreciate
He appreciates that cooperation with the sales department is a necessary evil.
3. Consider
Mark considered his roommate’s decisions as foolish but kept silent.
4. Dream
As a child, Anna dreamt of playing the flute, but her parents never allowed it.
5. Evaluate
Nicholas wasn’t able to evaluate the situation properly due to shock.
6. Fear
I fear that the situation is getting out of hand.
7. Forget
Don’t forget to bring the book tomorrow!
8. Grow
The idea is growing on me.
9. Imagine
I imagine you’re referring to Star Wars.
10. Learn
The CEO failed to learn anything from employee feedback.
11. Memorize
I try to memorize five new Chinese words every day.
12. Ponder
I’m always pondering how to improve my attitude in adversity.
13. Remember
She could vaguely remember Nick’s face after all those years they’d been apart.
14. Resolve
He resolved to learn Japanese and head the regional branch.
15. Review
Reviewing for exams can help students join the dots seamlessly.
16. Think
Don’t you think John was unhappy about the prospect?
Action Verbs Denoting Personal Improvement
To underline success, professional and personal alike, you may use suitable action verbs denoting improvement. Here are some examples:
17. Accomplish
I think I’ve accomplished much in this short amount of time.
18. Customize
Our IT team has customized the chatbot.
19. Demonstrate
They demonstrated their knowledge during the seminar.
20. Merge
Merging the two start-ups was the best decision they ever made.
21. Modify
Larry modified his views to meet project requirements.
22. Overhaul
Shareholders have decided to overhaul the training program.
23. Revamp
She set to revamp company policies to include hybrid work models.
24. Revitalize
Yoga classes can help you revitalize your body and spirit in no time.
25. Streamline
Mark worked hard to streamline operations to benefit the entire team.
26. Strengthen
She strengthened her resolve to deal with her past trauma.
27. Surpass
He has truly surpassed himself with his latest whitepaper.
28. Test
I’m just testing my theory out; is there something wrong with that?
29. Train
Did you know she trained as a psychologist before becoming a translator?
30. Transform
Transforming my career advancement plans is the best thing I’ve ever done.
31. Translate
My teacher says I must translate this sentence twenty times to grasp synonyms.
32. Update
We’d appreciate it if you could keep us updated on the procedure.
33. Upgrade
I’ve upgraded my skills! Now, I’m a high-level wizard!
Action Verbs Denoting Productivity
There are many action verbs suitable for business English. Let’s consider some examples of verbs denoting productivity. You might also be interested in our list of describing words.
34. Achieve
I need to work hard to achieve my goals.
35. Author
Becoming an author can be one of the most creative and rewarding careers.
36. Publish
The feeling of publishing your first novel is like nothing else; the excitement and pride you will feel are unparalleled.
37. Actualize
To actualize your potential, you need to train harder.
38. Adapt
He’s adapting the play to suit a wider audience.
39. Address
He addressed the audience with an enthusiasm rarely witnessed before.
40. Adjust
Individuals need to adjust their approach to suit the team.
41. Advance
The creditor advanced $100 million to help the business with debt repayments.
42. Amplify
Maria’s vision of the upcoming meeting with shareholders was amplifying her morale.
43. Boost
The initiative aims to boost sales during the peak season.
44. Capitalize
He capitalized on the sudden increase in demand.
45. Collect
I’m going to collect the latest issue of the magazine first thing tomorrow morning.
46. Compute
The management uses feedback to compute the rate of employee performance.
47. Conceive
I simply can’t conceive how you could be so insensitive!
48. Conceptualize
I’m unsure if I’ll be able to conceptualize the bigger picture, but I’ll give it my best shot.
49. Consolidate
The HR department consolidated its processes in an attempt to attract talent.
50. Construct
I’m constructing the argument in my mind and have yet to shape it into words.
51. Co-produce
Good news, everyone: we’ll be co-producing the new car model with Honda!
52. Curate
Hannah curated the exhibit alongside her husband, rumored to be an expert in the field.
53. Debug
Nina has been tasked with debugging the company’s in-house software.
54. Deliver
Ronaldo rarely fails to deliver a perfect pass.
55. Design
We’ve hired a wildly popular digital artist to design our holiday brochure.
56. Devise
He’s good at devising out-of-the-box solutions; that’s why we hired him in the first place.
57. Diagnose
Will you be able to diagnose the error by the end of the day?
58. Enhance
Simon is trying to enhance his reputation by demonstrating his unique expertise.
59. Expedite
Teams’ efforts expedited departmental plans.
60. Explore
The brand is exploring collaborating on a new project with the new regional start-up.
61. Further
Mary’s donation furthered her company’s positive outlook.
62. Improve
We need to improve our merger plans.
63. Maximize
Johanna’s superb design skills maximized company impact during the presentation.
64. Proofread
Nicholas proofreads books for an established publishing company.
65. Reconcile
Reconciling opposing viewpoints may be challenging, but we need to succeed all the same.
66. Stimulate
Her speech stimulated everyone present to perform better.
67. Sustain
Seasonal earnings will sustain our business during the dormant season.
68. Yield
She refused to yield power to the shareholders.
Action Verbs Denoting Ability
Action verbs can be used to efficiently communicate one’s ability. Here are some examples to help you get started.
69. Administer
They had to administer the revenues to prevent unfair play.
70. Code
I’m thinking of learning to code programs.
71. Complete
He is working overtime to complete work.
72. Develop
She’s trying to develop empathy in an attempt to reinvent herself.
73. Document
We need to document and report employee feedback before the next meeting.
74. Drive
Sadly, Mary can’t drive, although she’s having none of it!
75. Edit
She edits a business magazine that’s becoming more popular by the day.
76. Execute
The higher-ups are set to execute the new strategy.
77. Expand
There’s much I need to learn to expand my views.
78. Implement
We plan to implement a policy allowing all new hires to sign up for benefits.
79. Interpret
We need to interpret the stats as best we can; we’re not getting any help from higher-ups.
80. Operate
Do you know how to operate the machines?
81. Organize
If I wanted you to organize my life, I wouldn’t have looked for a roommate.
82. Perform
I need to study more if I want to perform better than average.
83. Prepare
I am prepared for any eventuality.
84. Realize
Can you realize the target or not?
Action Verbs Denoting Leadership Traits
Action verbs can be rather impactful when denoting leadership traits. They communicate expertise and willingness to deal with any obstacle. Here are the finest examples of dynamic verbs denoting leadership aspirations and expertise:
85. Arrange
I’ll arrange everything, so the only thing you need to do is follow through.
86. Assess
Management assessed the cost of the latest marketing initiative at ca. £7,000.
87. Assign
I’m assigning this job to you because I find your soft skills quite suitable.
88. Assist
My brother said he’d assist me with the task.
89. Attain
You need to decide on your own how to attain the goal; it’s rather subjective.
90. Authorize
To appeal to the workforce, the CEO authorized additional PTO.
91. Build
He’s built his career around his seamless communication skills.
92. Chair
Peculiarly enough, chairing the meeting is a new hire.
93. Coach
She is performing her tasks so seamlessly that I’m wondering if she’s been coached by a professional.
94. Coordinate
We need to coordinate our efforts to get the job done ASAP.
95. Delegate
Shouldn’t she be delegating work faster?
96. Deploy
Higher-ups are deploying resources more sparingly due to past grievances.
97. Direct
A police officer is directing the traffic again.
98. Empower
The matter of how to empower remote workers is gaining broad recognition.
99. Enable
Is it right to enable new hires to become workaholics?
100. Encourage
Top brass are encouraging project development as it is expected to make them rich overnight.
101. Enforce
The police are trying to enforce speed limits with varying degrees of success.
102. Engineer
Can we engineer a successful meeting between office employees and remote teams?
103. Examine
They’re examining the cause of the failure with the help of our brand-new AI solution.
104. Exceed
He is exceeding all expectations; he’s truly a marvel!
105. Explain
Joshua explained to his mates that he’d be leaving the band due to personal obligations.
106. Foster
They’re fostering a sense of inclusivity, but I can tell they’re not too happy about the whole affair.
107. Fulfill
He has failed to fulfill his promise and is trying to make amends.
108. Guide
Mr. Smith guided us through all the trials and tribulations of the takeover.
109. Head
He is heading the meeting regardless of the uproar.
110. Help
Helping him overcome the divorce was the best thing I ever did.
111. Individualize
Our HR teams are individualizing onboarding programs to allow for better personalization.
112. Inspect
We went to inspect the damage after the flood.
113. Instruct
The management instructed the team to align goals with the brand mission.
114. Invest
He’s invested in his studies and hardly has any spare time for anything else.
115. Investigate
They’ve investigated allegations of corruption and found nothing conclusive.
116. Lecture
Is he lecturing newcomers again?
117. Lobby
Businesses are lobbying for proposed changes in the tax laws.
118. Maintain
Jonny is maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a little help from his wife.
119. Manage
He has managed finances for as long as I can remember.
120. Map
IT teams are mapping all network drives at the moment.
121. Moderate
Mary thinks she needs to moderate her stance as she came across as overly harsh.
122. Mold
Our HR experts mold new hires’ characters with ease.
123. Motivate
I am motivated to help my friends achieve their goals.
124. Network
Company meetings are a good opportunity to network.
125. Orchestrate
He charged us with orchestrating the production.
126. Outperform
Our company will easily outperform our biggest competitor again.
127. Oversee
We need to appoint an engineer to oversee the construction.
128. Participate
We’ll all participate in the upcoming get-along and are fired up.
129. Partner
Mark and Maria partnered for the competition, hoping to place better.
130. Plan
They are planning a project in line with new directives.
131. Preside
The new integrator will preside at tomorrow’s meeting.
132. Probe
Their HR representative probed into my private life, and I’m outraged!
133. Project
The revenue is projected to surge again.
134. Spearhead
He spearheaded the company’s expansion into the U.S.A.
135. Supervise
The logistics department is supervising the distribution of resources.
136. Support
I planned to support her claim, but she’d been lying through her teeth.
Action Verbs Denoting Initiative
By nature, initiative portends action. That’s why dynamic verbs are so illustrative in this regard. Take a look at a couple of examples below:
137. Ask
I’m asking you again: “Will you be joining us tonight?”
138. Balance
Balancing professional and private life can get tricky during the peak season.
139. Budget
An additional $10 million needs to be budgeted for new projects in Q3.
140. Calculate
I’m calculating the total right now.
141. Chart
Mr. Watson is continually charting the progress of each team member, so be careful.
142. Close
We’ll be able to close the deal tomorrow.
143. Co-author
Maria and her brother have co-authored a vegetarian cookbook.
144. Collaborate
We’ll be collaborating with a Korean firm to develop the new product.
145. Create
Creating new initiatives is going as planned, so don’t worry.
146. Discover
I’m discovering more about the wabi-sabi concept with each passing day.
147. Establish
Establishing a new regional branch sounds like a good idea at this point.
148. Facilitate
To facilitate group discussion, project leaders should be inventive.
149. Form
To form an impactful sentence, you should consider using active verbs.
150. Found
Who founded the museum, do you know?
151. Formalize
They are planning to formalize the deal, but details have yet to be defined.
152. Formulate
Try as I might, I failed to formulate a proper response.
153. Gather
Everyone should gather here after work as we will throw a welcome party.
154. Initiate
There are several ways to initiate knowledge sharing, and AI is just the tip of the iceberg.
155. Institute
Policymakers are about to institute a number of measures to enforce public safety.
156. Introduce
Today, he’ll be introducing new technological developments in healthcare.
157. Join
Join us for the outing tonight; it’ll be fun.
158. Joke
Don’t joke around; it’s a serious matter!
159. Kick
The football player kicked his opponent during the match and was removed from the game.
160. Launch
We’re launching the project tomorrow, so prepare for potential inquiries.
161. Pioneer
He’s regarded as a pioneer in the world of art and literature.
162. Play
Your son is playing with matchsticks again!
163. Present
I’ll present the latest developments I’ve worked hard to come by.
164. Propose
The judge proposed the establishment of special tribunals for the trial of offenses disturbing the general peace.
165. Raise
He did raise some important questions, but the audience remained silent.
166. Reach
I’ll have reached NY headquarters by 5 PM.
167. Survey
I’m surveying the terrain now, so give me some time, and I’ll get back to you with the findings.
168. Team (up)
They teamed up for the upcoming competition, and their morale is through the roof!
169. Tutor
I’ve been tutoring my son, but he’s still as dumb as a brick! It’s infuriating!
170. Visualize
I can visualize my future in the company going forward.
Action Verbs Denoting Excellent Communication Skills
Communication rules supreme, especially in the age of rapid digitalization. Use action verbs to demonstrate your skill! Let’s illustrate best practices.
171. Convince
I am sure I can convince her to share her thoughts.
172. Communicate
We need to communicate the news during the meeting.
173. Compose
It took me some time to compose myself after the incident.
174. Cooperate
My son refuses to cooperate and denies his involvement in the incident.
175. Correspond
He still corresponds with Jamaican friends he met in Germany five years ago.
176. Define
Will you be able to define what’s wrong with this initiative?
177. Draft
Yes, he is drafting the legislation, but he’s taking his time.
178. Illustrate
Let me give you an example to illustrate the point.
179. Outline
The professor outlined his methodology in his latest book.
180. Persuade
Can I persuade you to come with us to the meet-up after work?
181. Promote
Mark was promoted to the First Division after nailing down his previous mission.
182. Publicize
He never did publicize his book, but it was an instant success nevertheless.
183. Write
We’ve managed to find a volunteer to write our manifest.
Finance Action Verbs
Finally, finance experts use action verbs galore and not without a good reason. This hectic industry is best described by dynamic words, but do note that these verbs can be equally impactful in other contexts as well.
Let’s take a look at some notable examples.
184. Appraise
The team is appraising the property, with estimates still being vague.
185. Audit
They audit all accounts annually to ensure they align with company policies.
186. Convert
He keeps converting all his cash from pounds into dollars. Is he planning to visit the States?
187. Decrease
I’m decreasing the revenue forecast due to last month’s unexpected losses.
188. Estimate
Analysts estimate the trend will be reversing any time now.
189. Forecast
Shareholders forecast the profit to grow by 2% in this quarter.
190. Lower
I’ve lowered the assessment to reflect recent data.
191. Measure
Measuring the impact of public involvement in research is never an easy task.
192. Qualify
They seem to think that reading a couple of books on AI qualifies them as experts.
193. Reduce
Team members worked hard to reduce the negative impact the latest marketing initiative had invoked.
194. Report
Reporting with the latest developments is our journalist Mark. Mark, tell us what’s going on!
195. Research
Researching her prior experiences, Viola discovered how to further her goals.
196. Aid
Financial aid is available to help those struggling with essential payments like rent or mortgage fees.
197. Advise
A great accountant will advise you on the best business practices as well as help with your taxes.
Looking for more? Check out our list of adjectives for strong men!
