suit the action to the word
To do what one has just proposed or spoken of.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“If you say you will help, you should suit the action to the word.”
“He promised to fix the broken fence today, and he intends to suit the action to the word.”
“The leader pledged to reform the failing department, and his supporters waited to see if he would truly suit the action to the word.”
A phrase from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
- 01
bad word
A vulgar word.
- 02
bag of fruit
[Cockney slang]suit
- 03
birthday suit
Nakedness, unclothed skin; an exposure of a human's natural anatomy without clothing.
- 04
breathe a word
To divulge even part of a secret (usually used with a negative).
- 05
cut one's cloth to suit one's purse
To settle for less when money or resources are limited.
- 06
dicky
[Cockney slang]word
- 07
dirty word
The name of a topic that a person prefers not to hear or discuss.
- 08
empty suit
An ineffective or incompetent person in a place of authority.
Last updated August 10, 2026