Action vs. Move — What's the Difference?

The fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim

To change in position from one point to another

A thing done; an act

To follow a specified course

The way in which something works or moves

To change posture or position; stir

Armed conflict

To start off; depart

Legal proceedings; a lawsuit

(Games) To change position on a board in a board game.

Take action on; deal with

To go from one residence or location to another; relocate

The state or process of acting or doing

(Linguistics) To be copied or moved by means of a movement transformation to a new position in syntactic structure.

Something that is done or accomplished; a deed. See Usage Note at act.

To progress in sequence; go forward

Organized activity to accomplish an objective

To progress toward a particular state or condition

The causation of change by the exertion of power or a natural process

To be disposed of by sale

Habitual or vigorous activity; energy

To be put in motion or to turn according to a prescribed motion. Used of machinery.

Often actions Behavior or conduct.

To exhibit great activity or energy

(Law) A proceeding brought before a court to obtain relief; a lawsuit.

To initiate an action; act

Armed encounter; combat

To be active in a particular environment

An engagement between troops or ships

To stir the emotions

The most important or exciting work or activity in a specific field or area

To make a formal motion in parliamentary procedure

A movement or a series of movements, as of an actor.

To evacuate. Used of the bowels.

Manner of movement

To change the place or position of

The appearance of animation of a figure in painting or sculpture.

To cause to go from one place to another

The series of events and episodes that form the plot of a story or play

(Games) To change (a piece) from one position to another in a board game

A series or number of fast-moving, exciting, or dangerous events, especially in a movie

To change the course of

The operating parts of a mechanism.

To cause to progress or advance

The manner in which such parts operate.

To dislodge from a fixed point of view, as by persuasion

The manner in which a musical instrument can be played; playability

To prompt to action; rouse

The effort of performing or doing something.

To arouse the emotions of; affect or stir.

Something done, often so as to accomplish a purpose.

To cause to function

A way of motion or functioning.

To cause to progress or advance

Fast-paced activity.

To propose or request in formal parliamentary procedure

The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm.

To make formal application to (a court, for example).

(firearms) The way in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism.

To dispose of by sale

(music) The mechanism, that is the set of moving mechanical parts, of a keyboard instrument, like a piano, which transfers the motion of the key to the sound-making device.

To cause (the bowels) to evacuate.

The distance separating the strings and the fretboard on a guitar or other string instrument.

The act or an instance of moving.

Sexual intercourse.

A particular manner of moving

(military) Combat.

A change of residence or location.

(legal) A charge or other process in a law court (also called lawsuit and actio).

An act of transferring a piece from one position to another in board games.

(mathematics) A mapping from a pairing of mathematical objects to one of them, respecting their individual structures. The pairing is typically a Cartesian product or a tensor product. The object that is not part of the output is said to act on the other object. In any given context, action is used as an abbreviation for a more fully named notion, like group action or left group action.

The prescribed manner in which a piece may be played.

(physics) The product of energy and time, especially the product of the Lagrangian and time.

A participant's turn to make a play.

The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events.

An action taken to achieve an objective; a maneuver

The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted.

(intransitive) To change place or posture; to go, in any manner, from one place or position to another.

(bowling) spin put on the bowling ball.

(intransitive) To act; to take action; to begin to act

(obsolete) A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds.

(intransitive) To change residence, for example from one house, town, or state, to another; to go and live at another place. See also move out and move in.

(religion) A religious performance or solemn function, i.e. action sermon, a sacramental sermon in the Scots Presbyterian Church.

To cause to change place or posture in any manner; to set in motion; to carry, convey, draw, or push from one place to another

(science) a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings).

To transfer (a piece) from one space or position on the board to another.

Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually a performance.

(transitive) To excite to action by the presentation of motives; to rouse by representation, persuasion, or appeal; to influence.

(Manglish) arrogant

(transitive) To arouse the feelings or passions of; especially, to excite to tenderness or compassion, to excite (for example, an emotion).

To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.

To propose; to recommend; specifically, to propose formally for consideration and determination, in a deliberative assembly; to submit

To initiate a legal action against someone.

To mention; to raise (a question); to suggest (a course of action); to lodge (a complaint).

A process or condition of acting or moving, as opposed to rest; the doing of something; exertion of power or force, as when one body acts on another; the effect of power exerted on one body by another; agency; activity; operation; as, the action of heat; a man of action.

To incite, urge (someone to do something); to solicit (someone for or of an issue); to make a proposal to.

An act; a thing done; a deed; an enterprise. (pl.): Habitual deeds; hence, conduct; behavior; demeanor.

To apply to, as for aid.

The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events.

To request an action from the court.

Movement; as, the horse has a spirited action.

To bow or salute upon meeting.

Effective motion; also, mechanism; as, the breech action of a gun.

To sell or market (especially physical inventory or illicit drugs).

Any one of the active processes going on in an organism; the performance of a function; as, the action of the heart, the muscles, or the gastric juice.

The act of moving; a movement.

Gesticulation; the external deportment of the speaker, or the suiting of his attitude, voice, gestures, and countenance, to the subject, or to the feelings.

An act for the attainment of an object; a step in the execution of a plan or purpose.

The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted.

A formalized or practiced action used in athletics, dance, physical exercise, self-defense, hand-to-hand combat, etc.

A suit or process, by which a demand is made of a right in a court of justice; in a broad sense, a judicial proceeding for the enforcement or protection of a right, the redress or prevention of a wrong, or the punishment of a public offense.

The event of changing one's residence.

A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds; hence, in the plural, equivalent to stocks.

A change in strategy.

An engagement between troops in war, whether on land or water; a battle; a fight; as, a general action, a partial action.

A transfer, a change from one employer to another.

The mechanical contrivance by means of which the impulse of the player's finger is transmitted to the strings of a pianoforte or to the valve of an organ pipe.

(board games) The act of moving a token on a gameboard from one position to another according to the rules of the game.

Something done (usually as opposed to something said);

A round, in which each player has a turn.

The state of being active;

To cause to change place or posture in any manner; to set in motion; to carry, convey, draw, or push from one place to another; to impel; to stir; as, the wind moves a vessel; the horse moves a carriage.

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

To transfer (a piece or man) from one space or position to another on a playing board, according to the rules of the game; as, to move a king.

An act by a government body or supranational organization;

To excite to action by the presentation of motives; to rouse by representation, persuasion, or appeal; to influence.

A military engagement;

To arouse the feelings or passions of; especially, to excite to tenderness or compassion; to touch pathetically; to excite, as an emotion.

A process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings);

To propose; to recommend; specifically, to propose formally for consideration and determination, in a deliberative assembly; to submit, as a resolution to be adopted; as, to move to adjourn.

The series of events that form a plot;

To apply to, as for aid.

The operating part that transmits power to a mechanism;

To change place or posture; to stir; to go, in any manner, from one place or position to another; as, a ship moves rapidly.

The trait of being active and energetic and forceful;

To act; to take action; to stir; to begin to act; as, to move in a matter.

The most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field;

To change residence; to remove, as from one house, town, or state, to another.

Institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against;

To change the place of a piece in accordance with the rules of the game.

Put in effect;

The act of moving; a movement.

The act of moving one of the pieces, from one position to another, in the progress of the game; also, the opportunity or obligation to so move a piece; one's turn; as, you can only borrow from the bank in Monopoly when it's your move.

An act for the attainment of an object; a step in the execution of a plan or purpose.

The act of deciding to do something;

The act of changing your residence or place of business;

A change of position that does not entail a change of location;

The act of changing location from one place to another;

(game) a player's turn to move a piece or take some other permitted action

Change location; move, travel, or proceed;

Cause to move, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense;

Move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion;

Change residence, affiliation, or place of employment;

Follow a procedure or take a course;

Be in a state of action;

Go or proceed from one point to another;

Perform an action, or work out or perform (an action);

Have an emotional or cognitive impact upon;

Give an incentive for action;

Arouse sympathy or compassion in;

Dispose of by selling;

Progress by being changed;

Live one's life in a specified environment;

Have a turn; make one's move in a game;

Propose formally; in a debate or parliamentary meeting