in action

prepositional phrase

In operation; active.

“He was wounded in action in his second tour.”

Similar
at playat workat warin armsin country
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. In operation; active.

    Seeing a steam engine in action is increasingly rare.

    1 more example

    After a month in hospital, the reporter is back in action.

    Synonyms: at play, at work

  2. In combat.

    He was wounded in action in his second tour.

    Synonyms: at war, in arms, in country

adjective

    Synonyms & antonyms

    prepositional phraseIn operation; active.

    Similar
    at playat work

    prepositional phraseIn combat.

    Similar
    at warin armsin country
    Also see
    active
    Cite this entry
    APA

    in action. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20action

    MLA

    “in action.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20action. Accessed November 4, 2026.

    Chicago

    WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in action,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20action.

    Source: in action on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.