Noun
1. something done (usually as opposed to something said);
"there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"2. the state of being active;
"his sphere of activity""he is out of action"3. a judicial proceeding brought by one party against another; one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or for prevention of a wrong
4. an act by a government body or supranational organization;
"recent federal action undermined the segregationist position""the United Nations must have the power to propose and organize action without being hobbled by irrelevant issues""the Union action of emancipating Southern slaves"5. a military engagement;
"he saw action in Korea"6. a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings);
"the action of natural forces""volcanic activity"7. the series of events that form a plot;
"his novels always have a lot of action"8. the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism;
"the piano had a very stiff action"9. the trait of being active and energetic and forceful;
"a man of action"10. the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field;
"the action is no longer in technology stocks but in municipal bonds""gawkers always try to get as close to the action as possible"