transitive
adjective
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What is the difference between a transitive verb and an intransitive verb?
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object, which is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that follows the verb and completes the sentence's meaning by indicating the person or thing that receives the action of the verb. The direct object typically answers the question what? or whom?:
The kids like pickles.
That really annoys me.
Have they sold their house yet?
An intransitive verb is not used with a direct object. If something comes after an intransitive verb, that is, in the position usually inhabited by the direct object, it doesn't answer what? or whom?; instead it answers a question like where?, when?, how?, or how long?:
Her car died suddenly last week.
Someone was coughing loudly.
A single verb can have both transitive and intransitive uses:
They are playing soccer.
They've been playing all afternoon.
A transitive verb can also have an indirect object, which is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that comes before a direct object and indicates the person or thing that receives what is being given or done. Many common verbs can be used with both direct and indirect objects. In the following examples the indirect object is in italics:
Find her a chair.
Can you read me the letter?
Who gave her lawyers the information?
He's saving Caitlin a piece.
Examples of transitive in a Sentence
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2024
For three dice, transitive and intransitive dice are equally common.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023
Mathematicians have never found an example of a transitive graph whose growth falls in this range.
—Quanta Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023
The transitive property doesn’t always translate in football: the Colts defeated Kansas City in Week 3 of the NFL season last year.
—Corey Smith, Dallas News, 15 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for transitive 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'transitive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near transitive
Cite this Entry
“Transitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transitive. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.
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transitive
adjective
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