: the most vigorous, productive, or exciting activity in a particular field, area, or group
wants to be where the action is
11
—used as a director's command to start filming part of a movie or television show
Lights, camera, action!
12
: spin or rotation given to a ball or puck by throwing or hitting it in a particular way
If I am hitting into the wind on the 7th at Pebble Beach, … rather than taking an eight or a nine [iron] and hitting it hard, I'll choose a little eight or even a seven and almost chip the ball, putting as little action on it as possible so it lands softly and doesn't do a lot of spinning. Jack Nicklaus
He was critical of the government's actions before the war. a military action against another country She tried to explain her actions. I accept full responsibility for my actions. The situation demanded immediate action. The problem may require military action. The school took disciplinary action against the drunken students. They decided that no further action was necessary. See More
Recent Examples on the WebIn 2020, the company purchased Sye, a technology firm that specializes in improving the lag time from live action to what viewers see on the stream. Stephen Battagliostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2022 Richard Lowery, an associate professor of finance at UT's McCombs School of Business, filed the class-action lawsuit Saturday against the A&M system and its leadership in U.S. federal district court in Houston. Michael Murney, Chron, 13 Sep. 2022 The live-action drama is about June and Jennifer Gibbons, British Caribbean twin sisters who rarely spoke to anyone except each other. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2022 Cutler points to 54 live-action projects currently shooting in Ontario, a record for the local production sector. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022 The other is an actress, who has appeared in the live-action Aladdin, the 2019 reboot of Charlie's Angels, and Anatomy of a Scandal. Emily Burack, Town & Country, 12 Sep. 2022 The Senate Leadership Fund, a super political-action committee aligned with Mr. McConnell, this month reserved its first television-ad buys in New Hampshire, allocating $23 million for the state’s airwaves. Joshua Jamerson, WSJ, 12 Sep. 2022 Jurinsky filed a lawsuit last month that is seeking class-action status to bring justice to the families who allege Niceta used her role as a social worker to tear families apart. Emma Colton, Fox News, 12 Sep. 2022 The 1937 Disney animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs serves as the inspiration for the upcoming live-action reimagining, but don't expect a beat-by-beat retelling. Scott Huver, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English accioun, borrowed from Anglo-French accion, borrowed from Latin āctiōn-, āctiō "activity, act, legal process," from agere "to drive (cattle), cause to move, do" + -tiōn-, -tiō, noun suffix of verbal action — more at agent