verb
n. · v.-
1 grammar (n.) A2 Elementary Academic Religiona word that describes an action (like 'run'), an event (like 'happen'), or a state (like 'be').
a member of the syntactic class that typically functions as the main part of the predicate in a sentence.
ExampleIn the sentence 'The cat sleeps on the sofa', the word 'sleeps' is the verb.
ExampleThe student struggled to identify the auxiliary verb in the complex sentence, confusing it with the main participle.
UsageIn English, verbs must agree with their subjects in person and number.
- action word
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2 programming (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Computinga command or name for a specific action that a computer program performs on an object.
a named operation or method that performs a specific task on a data object within a software system.
ExampleThe programmer added a new verb to the system to allow users to delete files.
ExampleThe API documentation specifies which verbs are supported for each resource type, such as GET, POST, or DELETE.
UsageOften used in the context of RESTful APIs or object-oriented programming.
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3 to use a noun as a verb (v.) C2 Proficiency Informal Technical Linguisticsto take a word that is usually a noun and use it as a verb.
to convert a non-verb lexical item, typically a noun, into a verb through functional shift or anthimeria.
ExamplePeople often verb nouns like 'friend' or 'google' in modern conversation.
ExampleLinguistic purists often complain when speakers verb nouns, yet the process has been a fundamental driver of English lexical evolution for centuries.
Teacher's tipThis is often called 'verbing' in casual discussion; it is very common in business and tech jargon.
- verbing
From Middle English verbe, directly from Latin verbum (“word, verb”), reinforced by Old French verbe, from Proto-Indo-European *werdʰo-. Doublet of verve and word.