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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 1-20 of 91

Bis forBite

You bite something when you hold it in your mouth, between your teeth. You usually bite to break off a piece of something, like biting off a mouthful of an apple.
The cat in the picture is biting the woman's nose.
Insects like mosquitos that don't have mouths like ours can still bite you with their tongues.

Bis forBlink

You blink when you briefly close both of your eyes at the same time. You blink to keep your eyes wet with tears and to keep them clean. Quite often people blink when a camera flash goes off, so they look like they have their eyes closed in the photo.

Bis forBounce

Something bounces when it hits a surface and then springs back in another direction.
The ball in the picture is bouncing along the pavement.
Bowing is a way of greeting or acknowledging someone, or a mark of respect. You bow by lowering the top half of your body. In some countries, you can bow just by lowering your head.

Cis forCanter

A canter is the second fastest gait of a horse, faster than a trot and slower than a gallop. It has a beat of three.
A cartwheel is a gymnastic move where you go over sideways onto your hands and keep turning around like the wheel of a cart. Cartwheels are great fun to do on the beach or on a lawn.

Cis forCatch

You catch something when it is flying through the air towards you and you grab it with your hands. Dogs can catch things like balls and frisbees in their mouths.

Cis forChew

Chewing is when you put food in your mouth and keep pressing or grinding it between your teeth until it is soft and mushy enough to swallow.
People and animals will chew a lot of things that aren't food though. Some people chew their fingernails, or the ends of pens and pencils. Dogs will chew your shoes and furniture so it is good to get them a chew toy like in the picture.

Cis forClap

Clapping is when you bring your hands together to make a loud noise. People often clap after a performance to show that they liked it.

Cis forClimb

Climbing is a way of getting up something that is too high or too steep to just walk up. Things that people usually climb are cliffs, mountains or trees.
Adults usually climb cliffs, mountains or rock faces, and children usually climb trees or playground equipment. But you can climb lots of other things too.

Cis forCrawl

Crawling is moving along on your hands and knees. It is easier to keep your balance on all fours than it is to walk on two legs, so babies almost always learn to crawl before they learn to walk.

Cis forCrouch

Crouching is bending or stooping down low to the ground. Crouching can be very similar to squatting.
The man in the picture is crouching down so he can take a photograph of something from a good angle.

Cis forCyclist

A cyclist is someone who rides a bicycle.

Dis forDive

Diving is a sport where you jump into the water, usually from a small platform. Some people dive in so they can start swimming faster. Sometimes people have the diving board set up really high so between jumping off and landing in the water they have time to do lots of acrobatic twists and turns.
Usually when you dive into the water, you want to make as small a splash as possible.

Dis forDrag

You drag something when you pull it along with much effort. Generally when you drag something, most of it is on the ground and you have to overcome a lot of friction. People often drag things when they don't have something like a wheelbarrow or trolley to help them, and they are too heavy to carry.

Eis forEmbrace

Embrace is another word for hug, a motion where two people wrap their arms around one another. An embrace is usually a form of affection.

Eis forExercise

Exercising is doing physical activity for the main reason of keeping you fit and healthy. Exercising keeps your muscles strong and flexible. If you don't exercise enough, or you eat too much (or both), you can get fat.

Fis forFight

When two or more people or animals get angry with each other, sometimes they will fight, and try and hurt each other with words or their fists. Sometimes people fight for money, as in a boxing match or street fighting.
Animals often fight with each other over food, nesting space, or at breeding season.
You can also use fight as a noun, as in "those people are having a fight".

Fis forFlap

You flap something when you move it backwards and forwards around a hinge point. Birds flap their wings to fly, people flap their arms for fun and a loose window shutter will flap in the wind.
Flying is a way of moving through the air. Most things that fly do it because they have wings, but helicopters fly by using a rotor.