act
deed
human action
human activity | something that people do or cause to happen |
| action | something done (usually as opposed to something said), there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions |
course
course of action | a mode of action, if you persist in that course you will surely fail, once a nation is embarked on a course of action it becomes extremely difficult for any retraction to take place |
| maneuver manoeuvre evasive action | an action aimed at evading an opponent |
performance
execution carrying out carrying into action | the act of performing, of doing something successfully, using knowledge as distinguished from merely possessing it, they criticised his performance as mayor, experience generally improves performance |
practice
pattern | a customary way of operation or behavior, it is their practice to give annual raises, they changed their dietary pattern |
| action | the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field, the action is no longer in technology stocks but in municipal bonds, gawkers always try to get as close to the action as possible |
reflex
reflex response
reflex action
instinctive reflex
innate reflex
inborn reflex
unconditioned reflex
physiological reaction | an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus |
military action
action | a military engagement, he saw action in Korea |
| police action | a local military action without declaration of war, against violators of international peace and order |
replay
instant replay
action replay | the immediate rebroadcast of some action (especially sports action) that has been recorded on videotape |
| group action | action taken by a group of people |
| direct action | a protest action by labor or minority groups to obtain their demands |
legal action
action action at law | a judicial proceeding brought by one party against another, one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or for prevention of a wrong |
| action | an act by a government body or supranational organization, recent federal action undermined the segregationist position, the United Nations must have the power to propose and organize action without being hobbled by irrelevant issues, the Union action of emancipating Southern slaves |
class action
class-action suit | a lawsuit brought by a representative member of a large group of people on behalf of all members of the group |
| civil action | legal action to protect a private civil right or to compel a civil remedy (as distinguished from criminal prosecution) |
| job action | a temporary action by workers to protest management decision or to make demands |
Abstract Expressionism
action painting | a New York school of painting characterized by freely created abstractions, the first important school of American painting to develop independently of European styles |
action
action mechanism | the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism, the piano had a very stiff action |
arena
scene of action | a playing field where sports events take place |
| delayed action | a mechanism that automatically delays the release of a camera shutter for a fixed period of time so that the photographer can appear in the picture |
design
pattern
figure | a decorative or artistic work, the coach had a design on the doors |
fret Greek fret
Greek key
key pattern | an ornamental pattern consisting of repeated vertical and horizontal lines (often in relief), there was a simple fret at the top of the walls |
| herringbone herringbone pattern | a pattern of columns of short parallel lines with all the lines in one column sloping one way and lines in adjacent columns sloping the other way, it is used in weaving, masonry, parquetry, embroidery |
| piano action | action consisting of a system of levers that move a felt hammer to strike the strings when a key is depressed |
pump action
slide action | action mechanism in a modern rifle or shotgun, a back and forward motion of a sliding lever ejects the empty shell case and cocks the firearm and loads a new round |
willowware
willow-pattern | chinaware decorated with a blue Chinese design on a white background depicting a willow tree and often a river |
| action | the trait of being active and energetic and forceful, a man of action |
| inheritance hereditary pattern | (genetics) attributes acquired via biological heredity from the parents |
| right of action | the legal right to sue |
convention
normal
pattern rule formula | something regarded as a normative example, the convention of not naming the main character, violence is the rule not the exception, his formula for impressing visitors |
melody
tonal pattern | the perception of pleasant arrangements of musical notes |
possibility possible action
opening | a possible alternative, bankruptcy is always a possibility |
impossibility
impossible action | an alternative that is not available |
| law of mass action | (chemistry) the law that states the following principle: the rate of a chemical reaction is directly proportional to the molecular concentrations of the reacting substances |
third law of motion
Newton's third law of motion
Newton's third law
law of action and reaction | action and reaction are equal and opposite |
blueprint
design pattern | something intended as a guide for making something else, a blueprint for a house, a pattern for a skirt |
| plan of action | a plan for actively doing something |
form
shape
pattern | a perceptual structure, the composition presents problems for students of musical form, a visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them |
| pattern | a model considered worthy of imitation, the American constitution has provided a pattern for many republics |
mass-action principle
mass action | (neurology) the principle that the cortex of the brain operates as a coordinated system with large masses of neural tissue involved in all complex functioning |
| action | the series of events that form a plot, his novels always have a lot of action |
| social action | a social policy of reform (especially socioeconomic reform) |
| affirmative action | a policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities, affirmative action has been extremely controversial and was challenged in in the Bakke decision |
| cause of action | a claim sufficient to demand judicial attention, the facts that give rise to right of action |
radiation pattern
radiation diagram
pattern | graphical representation (in polar or Cartesian coordinates) of the spatial distribution of radiation from an antenna as a function of angle |
| intonation pattern | intonations characteristic of questions and requests and statements |
poetic rhythm
rhythmic pattern
prosody | (prosody) a system of versification |
| accent speech pattern | distinctive manner of oral expression, he couldn't suppress his contemptuous accent, she had a very clear speech pattern |