List of action and motion words

Ways of moving around and things you can do with your body. Many of these overlap with the verbs category.

Subcategories: Fitness (16)

Showing 41-60 of 95

O is for Overweight

Someone is overweight if they weigh more than they should. People or animals are usually overweight because they are too fat.

P is for Pat

You pat something when you touch it with the palm of your hand. People usually pat dogs and cats on the head, or give each other a pat on the back for a job well done.
A very similar word to pat is stroke, where you run your hand along something slowly as you are patting it.

P is for Point

Pointing is a motion you can make with your hand to indicate the presence of something. Most people point using one outstretched finger, typically their index finger, which is also called the 'pointer finger.'

P is for Pose

Posing is holding a position so that someone can draw, paint or take a photo of you. The woman in the picture is posing so that a group of art students can draw her.

P is for Pour

You pour a liquid when you tip it from one container into another, like when you pour juice from a bottle into a glass. The picture is of some water being poured.

P is for Prance

A prance is a very proud, springy step. Usually when you are talking about prancing, you mean a horse.

P is for Preen

Preening is a word used for the way birds clean and groom themselves. Birds use their beaks to straighten their feathers and remove dirt and parasites. During the preening process, many species of birds cover their feathers with oil from a gland at the base of their tails.

P is for Punch (Hit)

You punch something when you hit it with your fist.
People punch each other when they fight or they punch inanimate objects like walls when they are frustrated.

P is for Push

When you push something it goes away from you. When you pull something it comes towards you.
The child in the picture is pushing a pram.

R is for Race

A race is where two or more people or animals try and take the shortest possible time to travel a set distance. The winner is the fastest. There are lots of different kinds of race. The picture is of some people racing each other on bicycles, but there are also horse races, dog races, running races, car races and of course anything that can move can be raced.

R is for Reach

Reach might mean you arrive somewhere after a journey, as in "she reached home after a long trip away".
It might also mean stretching out for something. The picture is of someone reaching for the sky. If you can't reach something no matter how far you stretch out your arms, it is said to be out of reach.

R is for Ride

You ride something when you sit on or in it and it takes you places, or does something interesting. Usually you ride a bike or a horse to go somewhere, and you ride something like a Ferris wheel or other fairground ride for fun.

R is for Roll

You roll when you lie down and move from your front to your back (or the other way around). If you keep rolling you can travel quite some distance. You roll a ball or something else round when you push or pull it along the ground and it moves by turning over and over without losing contact with the ground.

R is for Run

Running is a lot faster than walking. When you run, you take much longer steps, and you'll find that both of your feet are off the ground at the same time as you run.

S is for Salute

A salute is a formal gesture of respect. Salutes are most often used by the military, but are also used by organisations like the Scouts.

S is for Shake

You shake something when you move it vigorously up and down or from side to side. The dog in the photo is shaking water out of its coat. People shake drinks like milk to make them frothy.
Shaking can be used to communciate too. People shake their heads from side to side to mean "no", and two people will shake hands as a greeting.

S is for Shrug

A shrug is an action where you raise your shoulders up. Shrugging is a way of saying "I don't know".

S is for Sit

You sit down when you put most of your weight on your bottom, on a surface like a chair or sofa. Sitting down is usually more comfortable than standing up.

S is for Skid

You skid when you slide along the ground, with no rotation. Cars can skid along the road when there is ice on the road or they go too fast and lose control.

S is for Slap

You slap someone when you hit them with the back or front of your open hand.