List of action and motion words

extension Something is spinning if it is moving around and around a central point. Windmills spin, so do spinning tops. If you throw a ball the right way, it will spin as it flies. Skaters and ballerinas sometimes spin while they are performing.
Spinning is also a way to turn raw materials like sheep's wool and cotton into fibers suitable for making into cloth.

Squatting is a way of sitting, with your legs folded up close to your body and your bottom just above the ground.
A very similar word to squat is crouch.
Something can be described as squat if it is short, but broad.

Stance is another word for position, the way your body is posed when moving a particular way. The dog in the picture is in a playful stance.

Steal means to take something that doesn't belong to you, especially property that clearly belongs to someone else.

The man in the picture has just had his French fry stolen by a seagull.

Stoop means to bend your head and shoulders down towards the ground.

Strumming is a way of playing a stringed musical instrument, particularly a guitar. You strum a guitar by moving your fingers or a pick across the strings. You usually strum a guitar in a kind of rhythm.

Surfing is a sport where people ride a breaking wave near the beach, standing on a surfboard. It is more difficult than it looks to surf without falling off. People sometimes surf lying down on a board, in a small boat or without a board at all.

lan Swimming is a way of moving when you are in the water, using your arms and legs to push you forwards. There are many different ways of swimming, with names like breaststroke, freestyle, butterfly and the one that most children start with - dog paddle!
You can use the word swim as a noun, as in "I am going for a swim".

You tickle someone by poking them or running something like your fingers or a feather over their skin. Tickling feels funny and makes you laugh and squirm.

It is almost impossible to tickle yourself. Children tend to be much more ticklish than adults. People are usually ticklish under their feet and on their ribs.

A trot is a gait of a horse where its legs move in opposite pairs. A trot is faster than a walk but slower than a canter or gallop. Other animals and people that run in a similar way to the way a horse trots are also said to be trotting.