James KilpatrickTheodore M. Bernstein
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What is a verb?
Verbs are words that show an action (sing), occurrence (develop), or state of being (exist). Almost every sentence requires a verb. The basic form of a verb is known as its infinitive. The forms call, love, break, and go are all infinitives.
Almost all verbs have two other important forms called participles. Participles are forms that are used to create several verb tenses (forms that are used to show when an action happened); they can also be used as adjectives. The present participle always ends in -ing: calling, loving, breaking, going. (There is also a kind of noun, called a gerund, that is identical in form to the present participle form of a verb.) The past participle usually ends in -ed, but many past participles have irregular endings: called, loved, broken, gone.
The verb's past tense usually has the same -ed form as the past participle. For many verbs, however, the past tense is irregular. An irregular past tense is not always identical to an irregular past participle: called, loved, broke, went.
The two main kinds of verbs, transitive verbs and intransitive verbs, are discussed at the entries for transitive and intransitive.
Examples of verb in a Sentence
Meera Subramanian, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
Interesting thing is a sauna is actually a verb over there.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2023
Of particular difficulty to the Western translator is the absence of tense in Chinese verbs: in the poem, what is happening has happened and will happen.
—Wyatt Mason, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024
That was such a seismic shift in the game, the song’s title became a verb that’s still used 20-something years later.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for verb 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'verb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Dictionary Entries Near verb
Cite this Entry
“Verb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verb. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.
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