List of Verbs: 1000+ Common Verbs List with Examples

Last updated on October 31, 2023 by 7ESL

Are you looking for a comprehensive list of verbs in the English language? Here you will find 1000+ common verbs list with examples and ESL printable worksheets (in alphabetical order, by their grammatical functions, and by different activities).

One of the most important parts of a sentence when using the English language or any language for that matter, is the verb. These words are used to tell the listener or reader what action is being performed by the subject of the sentence. There are a lot of verbs to learn and they fall into further subcategories.

Table of Contents

List of Verbs (from A-Z)

Now that we’ve taken a look at verbs, and all the possible tenses that you can write them in for you to think about, we’re going to provide you with some lists of verbs to help you vary your vocabulary a little bit.

The following list of verbs will take you through various different verbs in alphabetical order for you to consider. See if you can spot one you would usually use and try to find one with the same meaning for you to try using in a sentence instead.

Explore verbs that start with…
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N
‍O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Verbs List (A)

List of verbs that start with A with examples.

Verb	Example
Accept	I accept your invitation.
Accuse	She accused him of stealing her phone.
Achieve	He achieved his dream of becoming a doctor.
Acknowledge	She acknowledged her mistake.
Acquire	He acquired a new car.
Adapt	He adapted to the new job quickly.
Add	She added sugar to her tea.
Adjust	He adjusted his tie before the interview.
Admire	She admired his courage.
Admit	He admitted to stealing the money.
Adopt	She adopted a stray cat.
Adore	He adored his wife.
Advise	She advised him to take a break.
Afford	They couldn’t afford to buy a new car.
Agree	They agreed to meet at the park.
Aim	He aimed the gun at the target.
Allow	She allowed him to stay out late.
Announce	They announced their engagement.
Anticipate	He anticipated the arrival of his guests.
Apologize	He apologized for being late.
Appear	The sun appeared from behind the clouds.
Apply	She applied for the job.
Appreciate	He appreciated her help.
Approach	She approached the door cautiously.
Approve	They approved the budget proposal.
Argue	They argued about politics.
Arise	A problem arose during the project.
Arrange	She arranged the flowers in a vase.
Arrive	They arrived at the airport early.
Ask	He asked her for her phone number.
Assume	He assumed she was coming to the party.
Assure	He assured her that everything would be alright.
Astonish	He astonished everyone with his magic tricks.
Attach	She attached the document to the email.
Attempt	He attempted to climb the mountain.
Attend	She attends church every Sunday.
Attract	The colorful flowers attracted the butterflies.
Avoid	She avoided the topic of politics.
Awake	He awoke to the sound of his alarm.

Verbs List (B)

List of verbs that start with B with examples.

Verb	Example
Bake	I need to bake a cake for the party.
Bathe	I like to bathe in the morning.
Be	It’s important to be kind to others.
Bear	I can’t bear the thought of losing you.
Beat	The drummer will beat the drums all night long.
Become	She wants to become a doctor someday.
Beg	He had to beg for forgiveness after his mistake.
Begin	Let’s begin the meeting with an introduction.
Behave	He needs to behave himself when he’s in public.
Believe	I believe in the power of hard work.
Belong	These books belong to the library.
Bend	He needs to bend his knees when he lifts weights.
Bet	I bet he can’t solve that math problem.
Bind	We need to bind these papers together.
Bite	The dog will bite if it feels threatened.
Blow	The wind will blow the leaves away.
Boil	Please boil the water before making tea.
Borrow	Can I borrow your pen for a minute?
Bounce	The ball will bounce if you throw it on the ground.
Bow	The violinist will bow at the end of the performance.
Break	Don’t break that vase, it’s valuable.
Breed	She plans to breed her dogs next year.
Bring	Could you bring me some water, please?
Broadcast	The radio station will broadcast the news every hour.
Build	They will build a new hospital in the city.
Burn	The candle will burn brightly in the dark.
Burst	The balloon will burst if you blow it up too much.
Buy	I need to buy some groceries at the store.

Verbs List (C)

List of verbs that start with C with examples.

Verb	Example
Calculate	She calculated the total cost of the trip.
Can/Could	To be able to do something
Care	She cares deeply about the environment.
Carry	He carried the heavy box upstairs.
Catch	She caught the ball with one hand.
Celebrate	They celebrated their anniversary with a party.
Change	She changed her hairstyle for the wedding.
Choose	He chose the red shirt over the blue one.
Chop	She chopped the vegetables for the soup.
Claim	He claimed to have witnessed the accident.
Climb	They climbed to the top of the mountain.
Cling	The child clung to her mother’s hand.
Come	She came to the party with her friends.
Commit	She committed to finishing the project on time.
Communicate	They communicated through email and phone calls.
Compare	She compared prices at several different stores.
Compete	He competed in the race and finished in first place.
Complain	He complained about the quality of the food.
Complete	She completed the project ahead of schedule.
Concern	The safety of our employees concerns us greatly.
Confirm	The test results confirmed her diagnosis.
Consent	He consented to let her borrow his car.
Consider	She considered all the options before making a decision.
Consist	The salad consisted of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.
Consult	He consulted with his lawyer before signing the contract.
Contain	The box contained a valuable collection of jewelry.
Continue	She continued to work on her project late into the night.
Convince	He convinced her to come to the party with him.
Cook	She cooked a delicious meal for her family.
Cost	The new car cost more than she had expected.
Count	She counted the money in her wallet.
Crawl	The baby crawled across the room.
Create	She created a beautiful painting.
Creep	The cat crept up on the bird.
Criticize	He criticized her performance in the play.
Cry	She cried when she heard the news.
Cut	She cut the cake into small pieces.

Verbs List (D)

List of verbs that start with D with examples.

Verb	Example
Dance	Let’s dance at the party.
Dare	I dare you to try the spicy food.
Deal	We need to deal with this problem.
Decide	I decided to go on vacation.
Defer	Let’s defer the meeting until next week.
Delay	The train was delayed by the snowstorm.
Deliver	The mail carrier delivered my package.
Demand	The protesters demanded justice.
Deny	He denied any involvement in the crime.
Depend	Our plans depend on the weather.
Describe	Can you describe what happened?
Deserve	She deserves a promotion for her work.
Desire	I desire a cup of coffee in the morning.
Destroy	The hurricane destroyed the town.
Determine	The judge will determine the verdict.
Develop	The company is developing new products.
Differ	We differ on our opinions about politics.
Disagree	I disagree with your assessment.
Discover	The scientist discovered a new species.
Discuss	Let’s discuss the plan at the meeting.
Dislike	I dislike mushrooms in my pizza.
Distribute	The charity will distribute food to the needy.
Dive	He decided to dive into the pool.
Do	Please do your homework before class.
Doubt	I doubt we will finish on time.
Drag	He had to drag his suitcase up the stairs.
Dream	Last night, I dreamed about flying through the clouds
Drill	The dentist will drill my tooth.
Drink	I always drink water with my meals.
Drive	She will drive us to the airport.
Drop	He dropped his keys on the floor.
Dry	Can you dry the dishes with a towel?

Verbs List (E)

List of verbs that start with E with examples.

Verb	Example
Earn	She earned a promotion by working hard.
Eat	I will eat pizza for dinner tonight.
Emphasize	The speaker emphasized the importance of education.
Enable	The new technology enabled faster communication.
Encourage	His parents encouraged him to follow his dreams.
Engage	She engaged in a conversation with her coworkers.
Enhance	The new software will enhance our productivity.
Enjoy	I enjoy reading books in my spare time.
Ensure	The lock on the door ensures our safety.
Entail	Buying a new car entails spending a lot of money.
Enter	She entered the room quietly so as not to disturb anyone.
Establish	The company was established in 1995.
Examine	The doctor examined the patient thoroughly.
Exist	Does extraterrestrial life exist in the universe?
Expand	The company plans to expand its business overseas.
Expect	I expect to hear back from the job interview soon.
Experiment	She wanted to experiment with a new recipe for dinner.
Explain	Can you explain how to solve this math problem?
Explore	We decided to explore the city on foot.
Extend	He extended his arm to reach the book on the top shelf.

Verbs List (F)

List of verbs that start with F with examples.

Verb	Example
Fail	She failed her driving test.
Fall	The leaves fall from the trees in autumn.
Feed	The mother bird feeds her chicks.
Feel	She feels happy after a good workout.
Fight	The two brothers used to fight over toys when they were younger.
Find	I was able to find my keys in my purse after searching for a few minutes.
Finish	He finished his homework before dinner.
Fit	This dress doesn’t fit me anymore.
Fly	The bird flies high in the sky.
Fold	She folds her clothes before putting them in a drawer.
Follow	The dog follows his owner everywhere.
Forbid	The sign forbids smoking in the park.
Forget	I always forget my passwords.
Forgive	She forgave him for his mistake.
Freeze	The water freezes in winter.
Fry	He fries the eggs for breakfast.

Verbs List (G)

List of verbs that start with G with examples.

Verb	Example
Gather	Let’s gather some wood for the fire.
Grow	The flowers in the garden are growing.
Grasp	She grasped the doorknob and opened it.
Glance	He glanced at his watch and hurried off.
Greet	She greeted me with a warm smile.
Guide	The teacher will guide the students through the difficult project.
Guess	I can only guess what he meant.
Give	He gave me a present for my birthday.
Go	We need to go to the store.
Generate	The wind turbines generate electricity.
Grab	She grabbed her keys and ran out the door.
Glitter	The diamonds on her necklace glittered.
Groan	He groaned when he realized his mistake.

Verbs List (H)

List of verbs that start with H with examples.

Verb	Example
Hang	He decided to hang the picture on the wall.
Happen	It didn’t happen as he had planned.
Hate	She hated the taste of the medicine.
Have	I have two cats as pets.
Hear	I can hear the birds chirping outside.
Hesitate	She hesitated before answering the question.
Hide	He tried to hide the gift from his sister.
Hit	The boxer hit his opponent with a left hook.
Hold	She held the baby tightly in her arms.
Hop	The frog hopped across the lily pad.
Hope	He hoped to win the race.
Hug	She hugged her friend after not seeing her for a long time.
Hurry	We need to hurry if we want to catch the train.
Hurt	He hurts his knee while playing soccer.

Verbs List (I)

List of verbs that start with I with examples.

Verb	Example
Identify	Can you identify the person in this photo?
Ignore	He chose to ignore the warning signs.
Illustrate	She illustrated her point with a diagram.
Imagine	Can you imagine what it would be like to live on Mars?
Imply	His tone implied that he was not happy with the decision.
Impress	Her confidence and intelligence really impressed me.
Improve	We need to improve our customer service.
Include	The package should include all necessary documents.
Incorporate	We decided to incorporate her ideas into the project.
Indicate	The sign indicated that the restaurant was closed.
Inform	She informed me that the meeting had been rescheduled.
Insist	He insisted that we go to the concert together.
Install	We need to install new software on our computers.
Intend	I intend to travel around the world one day.
Introduce	Let me introduce you to my colleague, Sarah.
Invest	He decided to invest in the stock market.
Investigate	The police are investigating the robbery.
Involve	The project will involve a lot of research.
Iron	She needs to iron her dress before the party.

Verbs List (J)

List of verbs that start with J with examples.

Verbs	Examples
Jog	I like to jog in the park every morning.
Juggle	She can juggle five balls at once.
Join	He joined the army after college.
Jump	The cat can jump over the fence easily.
Judge	She judged the competition fairly.
Justify	He tried to justify his actions, but it was hard to believe him.

Verbs List (K)

List of verbs that start with K with examples.

Verb	Example
Keep	Can you keep this secret?
Kick	He kicked the ball towards the goal.
Kiss	She kissed him on the cheek.
Kneel	The worshippers knelt down to pray.
Knit	She learned to knit a scarf for her sister.
Know	Do you know where the nearest gas station is located?

Verbs List (L)

List of verbs that start with L with examples.

Verb	Example
Lack	She lacks the necessary qualifications for the job.
Laugh	We all laughed at the funny joke.
Lay	She laid the book on the table.
Lead	He led the team to victory.
Lean	She leaned against the wall to catch her breath.
Leap	The athlete leapt over the hurdle.
Learn	She learned how to play the piano.
Leave	He left the party early.
Lend	Can you lend me a pen for a moment?
Lie (in bed)	She lay in bed all morning.
Lift	He lifted the heavy box with ease.
Light	She lit the candle with a match.
Lie (not to tell the truth)	He lied to his boss about being sick.
Like	I like chocolate ice cream.
Listen	Please listen carefully to my instructions.
Look	She looked out the window at the beautiful view.
Lose	He lost his wallet on the way to work.
Love	She loves spending time with her family.

Verbs List (M)

List of verbs that start with M with examples.

Verb	Example
Maintain	He maintained his car regularly.
Make	She made a cake for the party.
Manage	He managed the team successfully.
Matter	It doesn’t matter what you wear.
May	You may leave the room now.
Mean	What does this symbol mean?
Measure	She measured the length of the room.
Meet	Let’s meet at the coffee shop.
Melt	The ice cream began to melt in the sun.
Mention	He mentioned his vacation plans.
Might	I might go to the concert tonight.
Mind	Do you mind if I borrow your pen?
Miss	She missed the target with the arrow.
Mix	He mixed the ingredients for the cake.
Mow	He mowed the lawn on Saturday morning.
Must	You must wear a helmet while riding a bike.

Verbs List (N)

List of verbs that start with N with examples.

Verb	Example
Nag	My mom tends to nag me about cleaning my room every day.
Nourish	The mother breastfed to nourish her baby.
Nudge	She nudged him awake when the movie ended.
Navigate	He navigated the ship through the storm.
Name	She named her daughter after her grandmother.
Neglect	The landlord neglected to repair the leaking roof.
Nurture	She nurtured her garden with water and fertilizer.
Notify	The school notified the parents about the upcoming event.
Narrate	The author narrated the story in the first person.
Necessitate	The complex nature of the project necessitated more research.

Verbs List (O)

List of verbs that start with O with examples.

Verb	Example
Observe	She observed the birds flying south.
Obtain	He obtained a new job with a higher salary.
Occur	The accident occurred on the highway.
Offer	He offered me a ride to the airport.
Open	She opened the door and welcomed me inside.
Operate	He operates a small business in the city.
Order	I ordered a pizza for dinner last night.
Organize	She organized a surprise birthday party for him.
Ought to	You ought to be more careful when driving.
Overcome	He overcame his fear of public speaking.
Overtake	The car overtook the truck on the highway.
Owe	He owes me money for the rent.
Own	She owns a beautiful house by the beach.

Verbs List (P)

List of verbs that start with P with examples.

Verb	Example
Paint	She painted her room pink.
Participate	He will participate in the chess tournament.
Pay	She paid for her coffee with cash.
Peel	He peeled the banana before eating it.
Perform	She performed a beautiful song on the piano.
Persuade	He persuaded her to go on a date with him.
Pinch	She pinched her nose to stop the bad smell.
Plan	They planned their vacation to Hawaii.
Play	They played basketball in the park.
Point	She pointed to the north to show the direction.
Possess	He possessed a vast collection of books.
Postpone	They postponed the meeting until next week.
Pour	She poured milk into her coffee.
Practice	She practiced the piano for hours every day.
Prefer	He preferred tea over coffee.
Prepare	She prepared a delicious meal for her guests.
Pretend	She pretended to be a princess at the costume party.
Prevent	They prevented the fire from spreading to other houses.
Proceed	They proceeded with the construction of the building.
Promise	He promised to be on time for the meeting.
Propose	She proposed a new project to her team.
Protect	He protected his family from the wild animals.
Prove	He proved his theory through scientific experiments.
Pull	He pulled the door to open it.
Punch	He punched the bully in the face.
Pursue	She pursued her dreams of becoming a doctor.
Push	She pushed the shopping cart down the aisle.
Put	He put the keys on the kitchen counter.

Verbs List (Q)

List of verbs that start with Q with examples.

Verbs	Examples
Quack	The duck quacked loudly.
Quit	He quit his job after he won the lottery.
Quell	The police were able to quell the riot.
Quest	He quested for the lost treasure for many years.
Quake	The ground began to quake as the volcano erupted.
Qualify	She qualified for the scholarship with her excellent grades.

Verbs List (R)

List of verbs that start with R with examples.

Verb	Example
React	She reacted angrily to the criticism.
Read	I like to read books in my free time.
Realize	He realized he had made a mistake.
Recall	I cannot recall where I left my keys.
Receive	I received a gift from my friend.
Recollect	I cannot recollect meeting him before.
Recommend	I recommend this restaurant for dinner.
Reduce	We need to reduce our expenses this month.
Refer	Can you refer me to a good lawyer?
Reflect	She reflected on her past mistakes.
Refuse	I refuse to work for such a low wage.
Regret	She regretted not going to college.
Relate	I can relate to your struggle with anxiety.
Relax	I like to relax by taking a long bath.
Relieve	The medicine relieved his headache.
Rely	I rely on my best friend for emotional support.
Remain	Only a few guests remained at the party.
Remember	I remember our first date like it was yesterday.
Remind	Can you remind me to call my mom tonight?
Repair	I need to repair my car’s brakes.
Replace	I replaced my old phone with a new one.
Represent	The eagle represents freedom in America.
Require	This job requires a lot of hard work.
Resent	She resented his constant criticism.
Resist	He resisted the temptation to eat the cake.
Retain	I retained ownership of the house after the divorce.
Retire	My dad plans to retire next year.
Rid	She rid herself of toxic friends.
Ride	I like to ride my bike to work when the weather is nice.
Ring	The phone rang loudly in the quiet
Rise	The sun rises in the east every morning.
Risk	She didn’t want to risk getting caught by the police.
Roast	We are going to roast marshmallows over the fire.
Run	She likes to run every morning to stay fit.

Verbs List (S)

List of verbs that start with S with examples.

Verb	Example
Sanction	The government will sanction the new law.
Satisfy	The delicious meal satisfied our hunger.
Say	She said that she loved him.
Scrub	He scrubbed the floors until they sparkled.
See	I can see the mountains in the distance.
Seem	It seems that she is not feeling well.
Sell	She sells handmade jewelry at the market.
Send	He will send the package tomorrow.
Serve	The waiter will serve our dinner soon.
Set	She set the table for dinner.
Settle	They settled their argument peacefully.
Sew	She will sew a patch onto her jacket.
Shake	He shook his head in disbelief.
Shall	We shall meet at the park at noon.
Shed	The tree shed its leaves in the fall.
Shine	The sun shone brightly in the sky.
Shoot	He will shoot a movie in Paris next month.
Should	You should study harder for the exam.
Show	He will show his new painting at the gallery.
Shrink	The sweater shrank in the wash.
Shut	She shut the window to keep out the cold.
Sing	They will sing a song together.
Sink	The boat sank in the stormy sea.
Sit	She will sit on the couch to watch TV.
Ski	He loves to ski in the mountains.
Sleep	She will sleep soundly through the night.
Slice	He will slice the bread for sandwiches.
Slide	She will slide down the hill on her sled.
Slip	She slipped on the icy sidewalk.
Smell	The roses smell sweet.
Snore	He will snore loudly when he is tired.
Solve	She will solve the math equation correctly.
Sow	He will sow wildflowers in the field.
Speak	She will speak at the conference next week.
Specify	Please specify the color and size you want.
Spell	She will spell her name for the teacher.
Spend	They will spend their vacation at the beach.
Spill	She accidentally spilled coffee on her shirt.
Spit	He will spit out his gum before the exam.
Spread	She will spread butter on her toast.
Squat	He will squat down to tie his shoelaces.
Stack	She will stack the books neatly on the shelf.
Stand	She will stand in line for tickets to the show.
Start	He will start his new job next week.
Steal	She will steal a glance at her crush.
Stick	She will stick the poster on the wall.
Sting	The bee can sting you if you get too close.
Stink	The garbage in the dumpster stinks.
Stir	She will stir the soup on the stove.
Stop	She will stop at the red light.
Stretch	She will stretch her legs before going for a run.
Strike	She will strike the nail with a hammer.
Struggle	She will struggle to lift the heavy box.
Study	She will study for her history exam.
Submit	She will submit her proposal to the committee.
Succeed	She will succeed in her new job.
Suffer	She will suffer from a headache.
Suggest	She will suggest a new restaurant for you
Supply	She will supply the office with new computers.
Suppose	He will suppose that she’s running late.
Surprise	She will surprise her friend with a birthday gift.
Survive	He will survive the car accident.
Swear	She will swear to tell the truth in court.
Sweep	She will sweep the floor before guests arrive.
Swell	She will swell with pride when she receives the award.
Swim	She will swim in the pool.
Swing	She will swing on the playground.

Verbs List (T)

List of verbs that start with T with examples.

Verb	Example
Take	Can you take this book to the library?
Talk	Let’s talk about our plans for the weekend.
Taste	This soup tastes too salty.
Teach	My mom used to teach me how to cook.
Tear	She accidentally tore her shirt sleeve.
Tell	Please tell me what happened last night.
Tend	She tends to her garden every morning.
Think	I need to think about what you said.
Threaten	He threatened to call the police on me.
Throw	He can throw a football really far.
Tiptoe	She tiptoed out of the room to avoid waking anyone up.
Tolerate	I can’t tolerate spicy food.
Translate	He can translate French into English.
Try	I’m going to try this new recipe tonight.

Verbs List (U)

List of verbs that start with U with examples.

Verb	Example
Unfold	She unfolded the map to find the route to the airport.
Undertake	He undertook the project despite the challenges.
Upset	The bad news upset him for the rest of the day.
Understand	I can’t understand what you’re saying.
Use	He used his computer to write a report.
Upgrade	She upgraded her phone to the latest model.
Urge	I urge you to reconsider your decision.
Unite	The two companies decided to unite for a joint venture.

Verbs List (V)

List of verbs that start with V with examples.

Verb	Example
Validate	The supervisor will validate the test results.
Vanish	The magician made the rabbit vanish from the hat.
Vex	The constant noise from the construction site vexed me.
Visualize	She tried to visualize the beach as she closed her eyes.
Volunteer	She volunteered to help organize the fundraiser.
Verify	Please verify your email address to complete the sign-up process.
Visit	We plan to visit our relatives in Florida this summer.
View	The artist’s paintings were viewed by many people at the exhibit.
Vitalize	The fresh air and exercise helped to vitalize my body.
Vocalize	The baby began to vocalize and make cooing sounds.

Verbs List (W)

List of verbs that start with W with examples.

Verb	Example
Wait	I have to wait for the bus.
Wake	I usually wake up at 7am.
Walk	Let’s walk to the park.
Want	I want a new phone.
Warn	The weather forecast warned of a storm.
Wash	I need to wash my car.
Watch	Let’s watch a movie tonight.
Wave	He waved goodbye to me.
Wear	I like to wear comfortable clothes.
Weep	She wept after watching the emotional movie.
Weigh	I need to weigh this package before shipping it.
Whip	The chef whipped the cream for the dessert.
Will	I will study harder for my exams.
Win	Our team won the championship game.
Wish	I wish I could travel the world.
Would	I would go if I had more time.
Write	I need to write a report for work.

Verbs List (X, Y, Z)

List of verbs that start with X, Y, Z with meanings and examples.

Verbs	Examples
X-ray	The doctor X-rayed my broken arm to see the extent of the damage.
Xerox	I need to Xerox this document before I send it out.
Yield	The farm yielded a bountiful harvest this year.
Yell	The coach yelled at the players to run faster.
Yearn	She yearns to travel the world.
Zap	Can you please zap the leftovers for me?
Zoom	The race car zoomed down the track.
Zigzag	The snake zigzagged across the path.
Zone	The city is zoned into residential and commercial areas.
Zero	The scale needs to be zeroed before weighing anything.

Related:

Positive Verbs List

Verbs	Examples
Accomplish	She was able to accomplish her dream of becoming a doctor
Achieve	He worked hard to achieve his goal of running a marathon
Celebrate	They celebrated their anniversary with a romantic dinner
Compliment	She complimented her friend’s outfit, saying it looked great
Create	The artist created a beautiful painting
Develop	The company developed a new software program
Empower	The mentor empowered her student to pursue their dreams
Encourage	She encouraged her friend to apply for the job
Enhance	The renovations enhanced the beauty of the old house
Expand	The business decided to expand its operations
Explore	They went on a hiking trip to explore the mountains
Foster	The school aims to foster a love of learning in its students
Generate	The solar panels generated enough energy for the house
Improve	The athlete worked hard to improve their performance
Inspire	Her story inspired others to pursue their dreams
Learn	She signed up for a cooking class to learn new recipes
Motivate	The coach motivated his team to work harder and win
Nurture	The mother nurtured her child’s artistic talents
Optimise	The company optimized its marketing strategy
Overcome	She was able to overcome her fear of public speaking
Progress	All projects progress towards completion
Promote	The company decided to promote its employees
Renew	The couple renewed their vows on their anniversary
Succeed	She succeeded in winning the competition
Support	The charity supports local causes and organizations
Thrive	The plants thrived in the sunny and humid weather
Transform	The company transformed its image with a new logo
Upgrade	He upgraded his computer to improve its speed and memory
Volunteer	She volunteers at a local homeless shelter every weekend
Win	The team worked hard to win the championship
Yield	The farm yielded a bumper crop of fruits and vegetables

List of Verbs (by Grammatical Functions)

In English grammar, verbs are one of the nine parts of speech. A verb is a word or group of words that describes an action, experience or expresses a state of being.

Sometimes verbs don’t always behave the same in a sentence, so to make things easier for you to follow along, we’ve split these verbs up into their grammatical functions so you can see how they would be used in a sentence slightly differently.

A useful list of verbs classified by their grammatical functions. In this section, you will be learning about the different verbs in grammar and this will enable you to form much more concise and comprehensive sentences.

Stative Verbs List

Stative verbs describe a state or condition that is not necessarily an action.

Senses

Feel
Hear
See
Smell
Taste

Emotions

Adore
Appreciate
Dislike
Envy
Gate
Love
Prefer

Thoughts and beliefs

Believe
Doubt
Imagine
Know
Recognize
Remember
Understand

Possession

Belong
Have
Own
Possess

States of being

Appear
Be
Exist
Lie
Remain
Seem
Stay

Dynamic Verbs List

Dynamic Verbs describe actions or processes that are ongoing or continuous

Dynamic verbs are also known as “action verbs.”

Physical actions

Walk
Run
Jump
Dance
Swim
Play
Climb
Lift

Communication

Speak
Talk
Say
Shout
Whisper
Write
Read
Listen

Mental actions

Think
Ponder
Consider
Analyze
Plan
Decide
Remember
Forget

Changes

Grow
Shrink
Expand
Contract
Evolve
Transform
Develop
Change

Perception

See
Hear
Feel
Smell
Taste

List of verbs that can be both stative and dynamic verbs

Look
Appear
Think
Feel
Have
See
Taste
Smell
Be
Weigh
Measure
Mind

Modal Verbs List

Modal verbs are used to express possibility, ability, permission, obligation, or advice.

Will
Shall
Would
Should
Ought to
Must
Mustn’t
May
Might
Can
Could
Have to
Has to
Don’t have to
Doesn’t have to

Irregular verbs List

Irregular Verbs do not follow regular patterns in their inflections, such as the past tense or past participle

Be (am, is, are / was, were / been)
Begin (begin / began / begun)
Bite (bite / bit / bitten)
Break (break / broke / broken)
Bring (bring / brought / brought)
Build (build / built / built)
Buy (buy / bought / bought)
Choose (choose / chose / chosen)
Come (come / came / come)
Do (do / did / done)
Drink (drink / drank / drunk)
Drive (drive / drove / driven)
Eat (eat / ate / eaten)
Fall (fall / fell / fallen)
Feel (feel / felt / felt)
Find (find / found / found)
Fly (fly / flew / flown)
Forget (forget / forgot / forgotten)
Get (get / got / gotten)
Give (give / gave / given)
Go (go / went / gone)
Grow (grow / grew / grown)
Have (have / had / had)
Hear (hear / heard / heard)
Know (know / knew / known)
Leave (leave / left / left)
Make (make / made / made)
Meet (meet / met / met)
Put (put / put / put)
Run (run / ran / run)
Say (say / said / said)
See (see / saw / seen)
Sell (sell / sold / sold)
Send (send / sent / sent)
Sit (sit / sat / sat)
Sleep (sleep / slept / slept)
Speak (speak / spoke / spoken)
Spend (spend / spent / spent)
Stand (stand / stood / stood)
Take (take / took / taken)
Teach (teach / taught / taught)
Tell (tell / told / told)
Think (think / thought / thought)
Understand (understand / understood / understood)
Wake (wake / woke / woken)
Wear (wear / wore / worn)

Regular Verbs List

Linking Verbs List

Linking verbs connect the subject of the sentence to a predicate or subject complement that describes or identifies the subject.

Am
Is
Are
Was
Were
Be
Been
Being
Become
Seem
Appear
Look
Sound
Smell
Taste
Feel
Grow
Remain
Stay
Turn
Get
Keep
Make
Keep
Prove
Satisfy
Fall
Rise
Run
Go

Transitive Verbs List

Transitive verbs require a direct object to complete their meaning.

Accept
Buy
Call
Choose
Clean
Cook
Drink
Drive
Eat
Find
Fix
Give
Grab
Hold
Kick
Kiss
Learn
Like
Love
Make
Need
Paint
Read
Sell
Send
Take
Throw
Use

Intransitive Verbs

Intransitive verbs do not require a direct object to complete their meaning.

Arrive
Bleed
Cough
Cry
Dance
Die
Dream
Fall
Fly
Laugh
Run
Sing
Sleep
Smile
Sneeze
Swim
Talk
Walk
Work
Yawn

Helping Verbs List (Auxiliary Verbs)

Auxiliary verbs are used to form verb phrases to convey tense, mood, and voice.

Am
Are
Is
Was
Were
Be
Been
Being
Do
Does
Did
Have
Has
Had
Shall
Will
Should
Would
May
Might
Must
Can
Could

Phrasal Verbs List

Phrasal verbs consist of a main verb and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs) that together have a different meaning than the individual words.

Add up
Ask out
Back up
Blow up
Break down
Bring up
Call off
Carry on
Check in
Cheer up
Come across
Cut off
Do over
Dress up
Drop off
End up
Figure out
Fill out
Find out
Get along
Give up
Go ahead
Hang out
Hold on
Keep on
Look forward
Look up
Make up
Put off
Set up

Participles, Gerunds & Infinitives

Participles

Participles are verbs that can function as adjectives, ending in -ing or -ed.

Example: The running water is cold. The excited dog wagged his tail.

Gerunds: List of Verbs Followed by Gerunds

Gerunds are verbs that function as a noun in a sentence, ending in -ing.

A useful list of verbs followed by gerunds in English

Admit
Appreciate
Avoid
Consider
Delay
Deny
Enjoy
Finish
Imagine
Mind
Miss
Postpone
Practice
Quit
Recommend
Regret
Risk
Suggest
Understand
Avoid
Keep

Infinitives: List of Verbs Followed by Infinitives

Infinitives are verbs that are preceded by the word “to” and can function as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence.

A useful list of commonly used verbs followed by infinitives.

Action Verbs List

Finally, we’ve put together this list of verbs by activity. Whether it’s verbs associated with a restaurant, verbs associated with a sports event, or even verbs associated with body movements, we’ve categorized them all as best we can. Hopefully, you can look over them and understand different verbs that are more appropriate in some categories than in others.

List of different types of verbs with pictures in English.

Common Action Verbs List

List of action verbs commonly used in English.

Bathe	Eat	Sleep
Bow	Fight	Smell
Buy	Fly	Snore
Clap	Give	Stack
Climb	Hug	Stand up
Close	Jump	Talk
Cook	Kiss	Turn off
Crawl	Knit	Turn on
Cry	Laugh	Think
Cut	Listen	Throw away
Dance	Open	Wait
Dig	Paint	Wash
Dive	Play	Watch TV
Dream	Read	Win
Drink	Ride	Write
Shake	Sew	Sing

Physical Action Verbs List

These verbs describe actions that involve movement of the body.

Mental Action Verbs List

These verbs describe actions that involve thinking.

Think
Imagine
Visualize
Remember
Recall
Recognize
Understand
Comprehend
Learn
Study
Analyze
Evaluate
Judge
Assess
Compare
Contrast
Conclude
Infer
Deduce
Decide
Solve
Create
Invent
Plan
Organize
Prioritize
Set goals
Motivate
Focus
Concentrate

List of Emotional Action Verbs

These verbs describe actions that involve emotions.

Love
Admire
Cherish
Desire
Crave
Long
Miss
Hate
Dislike
Detest
Regret
Remorse
Repent
Blame
Guilt
Shame
Pride
Appreciate
Value
Respect
Trust
Believe
Hope
Fear
Worry
Doubt
Confuse
Surprise
Shock
Astonish

List of Cooking Verbs with Pictures

Add	Peel
Bake	Pinch
Barbecue	Pour
Boil	Roast
Break	Roll out
Cut	Saute
Chop	Slice
Fry	Spread
Grate	Steam
Layer	Stir
Melt	Taste
Mix	Weigh

Pin

Restaurant Verbs List with Pictures

Give
Drink
Serve
Pay
Eat
Cook
Hold
Light
Order
Spread
Lift
Write
Slice
Stack
Set (the table)

Pin

Sports Verbs List with Pictures

Bend	Pass
Bounce	Ride
Catch	Run
Dribble	Serve
Hit	Shoot
Hop	Sit
Jump	Skip
Kick	Stretch
Kneel	Throw
Lie down	Walk

Pin

Classroom Verbs List

Ask	Open
Calculate	Paint
Close	Play
Count	Read
Cut	Say
Draw	Show
Experiment	Sing
Explain	Spell
Give	Study
Listen	Teach
Observe	Think

Pin

Body Movement Verbs List

Bend	Push	Dance
Lift	Run	Break
Carry	Lean	Stand
Kneel	Squat	Jog
Hold	Throw	March
Sit	Tiptoe	Wave
Drag	Walk	Talk
Jump	Hit	Open
Leap	Catch	Cartwheel
Pick up	Kick	Put down
Punch	Kiss	Stretch
Pull	Clap	Drop
Dive	Laugh	Point
Look	Trip	Slip
Crawl	Pour	Cry

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English Verbs List | Pictures

Common English Verbs List | Image 1

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English Verbs List | Image 2

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Common English Verbs List | Image 3

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English Verbs List | Image 4

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List of Verbs Videos

Verbs are relatively easy to understand, but the key to using them successfully in sentences is being aware of the tense. The best way to combat this is by reading the sentence aloud. It’s incredibly easy to pick up issues with tenses when you hear it rather than read it. Remember, you can always look back here for more information about how verbs change in tenses to give you an idea about what changes you might need to make to your sentence for it to make sense. And of course, our list of verbs will be here for you to look over for new ideas about which verbs to use in different contexts or for different grammatical functions.

Learn 250+ verbs list with pictures and American English pronunciation.

Frequently Asked Questions on Verbs List

What are English verbs?

What is a verb? In the most simple terms, a verb is a word which describes an action, often known as a ‘doing’ word. In the English language, the verb is the only kind of word which will change to show whether the past or present is being spoken about. The verb is considered to be the most vital part of any sentence, without it you would be left literally speechless.

What is the most common regular verbs list?

Here’s a list of 30 common regular verbs in English:

Ask
Call
Clean
Cook
Dance
Dream
Enjoy
Finish
Help
Hope
Jump
Laugh
Learn
Like
Listen
Live
Look
Love
Move
Need
Open
Play
Read
Remember
Smile
Talk
Travel
Try
Want
Work

Jump to full list

What is the most common irregular verbs list?

Here are 30 of the most common irregular verbs in English, listed in alphabetical order!

Be
Become
Begin
Break
Bring
Buy
Choose
Come
Do
Drink
Drive
Eat
Fall
Feel
Find
Forget
Get
Give
Go
Grow
Have
Know
Leave
Make
Meet
Run
Say
See
Take
Write

Jump to full list

What are the 100 most common verbs in English?

What is the basic list of verbs?

Here is a basic list of 20 verbs:

Go
Come
See
Look
Listen
Hear
Speak
Say
Do
Make
Give
Take
Get
Buy
Eat
Drink
Read
Write
Think
Feel

Related Resources

Vocabulary

Explore more verbs that start with…

Grammar

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287 thoughts on “List of Verbs: 1000+ Common Verbs List with Examples”

Anonymous

November 5, 2023 at 9:36 pm

Brilliant! So good
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