One for Each and Every Day of 2016
I know what you’re thinking: “Action-smaction. I can find these in my dictionary!” Yes, yes you can. But isn’t it nice that a fellow Medium-DOT-comer thought enough about you to compile an extensive (if not exhaustive) word inventory—one of which just happens to be “inventory.”
There are so many ways to enjoy this little directory. For one thing, the verbs are conveniently listed in what we like to call “alphabetical order.” Need an “A” action verb, start at the beginning. Prefer something in the L-M-N-O-Ps? Check out the middle. Sadly, no “Z” word met my high standards — but, right at the end, is the word “write,” which seemed the perfect caboose to round out a Medium writer’s train of thought.
NOTE: When I call this my list, what I’m really saying is that I Googled “action verbs” and hacked some other schlep’s work. It should be noted, however, that 1) the Goggled list was in the past tense, so I had to delete all those pesky “ed” thingies, 2) my schelp-meister had just 333 words, forcing me to hack three other lists to reach the 365 mark, 3) because of my extensive journalistic training, I checked to make sure 2016 was NOT a leap year—which, of course, it was. That meant that 4) I had to kick it up a notch and (“BAM!”) find a 366th word, which turned out to be “leap.”
- Accelerate
- Accommodate
- Accomplish
- Achieve
- Acquire
- Act
- Activate
- Adapt
- Address
- Adjust
- Administer
- Admit
- Advance
- Advertise
- Advise
- Aid
- Alleviate
- Allocate
- Allow
- Amend
- Analyze
- Anticipate
- Answer
- Appoint
- Appraise
- Approve
- Approximate
- Arbitrate
- Arrange
- Assemble
- Assess
- Attain
- Audit
- Augment
- Author
- Authorize
- Balance
- Boost
- Brand
- Budget
- Build
- Calculate
- Catalogue
- Centralize
- Certify
- Chair
- Chart
- Check
- Clarify
- Classify
- Coach
- Code
- Commission
- Communicate
- Compare
- Compile
- Complete
- Compose
- Compute
- Conceive
- Conceptualize
- Conduct
- Confer
- Conserve
- Consolidate
- Construct
- Consult
- Contract
- Contribute
- Control
- Convert
- Convince
- Cooperate
- Coordinate
- Correlate
- Correspond
- Counsel
- Create
- Customize
- Deal
- Debate
- Debug
- Decide
- Decipher
- Define
- Delegate
- Deliberate
- Deliver
- Demonstrate
- Design
- Detect
- Determine
- Develop
- Devise
- Diagnose
- Direct
- Disburse
- Discuss
- Dispatch
- Display
- Dissect
- Distribute
- Double
- Draft
- Dramatize
- Draw
- Drive
- Earn
- Edit
- Educate
- Elevate
- Elicit
- Eliminate
- Empathize
- Employ
- Empower
- Enable
- Enchant
- Encourage
- Enforce
- Engineer
- Enhance
- Enlarge
- Enlist
- Enrich
- Entertain
- Enumerate
- Envision
- Establish
- Estimate
- Evaluate
- Execute
- Exercise
- Exhibit
- Expand
- Expedite
- Experiment
- Explain
- Extract
- Facilitate
- Familiarize
- Fashion
- File
- Finalize
- Finance
- Fix
- Follow
- Forecast
- Formulate
- Find
- Gather
- Give
- Generate
- Grow
- Group
- Guide
- Handle
- Head
- Help
- Hire
- Identify
- Illustrate
- Implement
- Improve
- Improvise
- Incorporate
- Increase
- Index
- Influence
- Inform
- Initiate
- Innovate
- Inspect
- Inspire
- Install
- Institute
- Instruct
- Integrate
- Interact
- Intercede
- Interpret
- Interview
- Invent
- Inventory
- Investigate
- Involve
- Issue
- Join
- Judge
- Keep
- Launch
- Leap
- Learn
- Lecture
- Lead
- License
- Link
- Listen
- Locate
- Log
- Make
- Maintain
- Manage
- Market
- Measure
- Mediate
- Memorize
- Mentor
- Meet
- Minimize
- Moderate
- Modernize
- Modify
- Monitor
- Motivate
- Move
- Multiply
- Navigate
- Negotiate
- Observe
- Obtain
- Offer
- Officiate
- Operate
- Orchestrate
- Order
- Organize
- Originate
- Outline
- Outlive
- Overhaul
- Oversee
- Participate
- Perceive
- Perform
- Persuade
- Photograph
- Pilot
- Pioneer
- Plan
- Play
- Polish
- Predict
- Prepare
- Prescribe
- Present
- Prioritize
- Process
- Procure
- Produce
- Program
- Project
- Promote
- Proofread
- Propose
- Protect
- Provide
- Publicize
- Purchase
- Qualify
- Query
- Question
- Raise
- Rate
- Read
- Realize
- Receive
- Recommend
- Reconcile
- Record
- Recruit
- Rectify
- Reduce
- Refer
- Refine
- Reform
- Regulate
- Rehabilitate
- Reinforce
- Relate
- Relieve
- Remedy
- Remember
- Remodel
- Render
- Reorganize
- Repair
- Report
- Represent
- Research
- Reserve
- Reshape
- Resolve
- Respond
- Restore
- Retrieve
- Revamp
- Reverse
- Review
- Revise
- Revitalize
- Sanction
- Satisfy
- Schedule
- Screen
- Scrutinize
- Secure
- Select
- Set
- Settle
- Set up
- Shape
- Share
- Show
- Simplify
- Sketch
- Slash
- Slice
- Smash
- Sell
- Solicit
- Solve
- Seek
- Spearhead
- Specify
- Speculate
- Speak
- Squash
- Start
- Stimulate
- Streamline
- Strengthen
- Study
- Submit
- Succeed
- Suggest
- Summarize
- Supervise
- Supplement
- Supply
- Support
- Survey
- Synthesize
- Tabulate
- Teach
- Terminate
- Test
- Trace
- Train
- Transact
- Transcribe
- Transform
- Translate
- Transmit
- Treat
- Type
- Unify
- Update
- Upgrade
- Utilize
- Validate
- Value
- Verify
- Volunteer
- Write
BONUS-1 The Writing Life: 52 Quotes to Use as Your Muse in 2016
BONUS-2 Ready, Set, Jump: Writing Is Like Parachute Preparation
BONUS-3 Action Verbs! Part Deux
BONUS-4 There, They’re, Their
BONUS-5 It’s vs. Its
Jim Lamb is a retired journalist living in Florida. He’s author of “Orange Socks & Other Colorful Tales,” the story of how he survived Vietnam and kept his sense of humor. Jim read poetry as a child and dreamed about being a writer. Thanks to the G.I. Bill, that’s what happened. For more about Jim and his writing, visit www.jslstories.com.
