Like this site? Pledge support via Patreon!
Photo of people running a race.

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.

View in the Videographic Dictionary

Outstretch means to spread out or expand some part of your body. The man in the picture has outstretched arms.
Photo of a hand patting a small dog
Attribution-Sharealike

Pis forPat

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.
A statue pointing.
Attribution-Sharealike

Pis forPoint

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.'

Pis forPose

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.
Photo of some water being poured
Attribution-Sharealike

Pis forPour

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.

Pis forPrance

A prance is a very proud, springy step. Usually when you are talking about prancing, you mean a horse.
Photo of a bird preening itself.
Attribution-Sharealike

Pis forPreen

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.
Photo of someone being punched.
Attribution-Sharealike
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.
Photo of a girl pushing
Attribution-Sharealike

Pis forPush

When you push something it goes away from you. When you pull something it comes towards you. The little girl in the picture is pushing a big stone wheel.

Ris forRace

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.