verb
UK: vɜːb | US: vɜːrb
n. a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence (e.g., "run," "be," "happen")
The word "verb" traces back to Latin verbum, meaning "word." In Latin grammar, verbum specifically referred to the action-bearing part of speech, distinguishing it from nouns. This narrow sense carried into Old French (verbe) and Middle English, where it became "verb." The term reflects the centrality of verbs in language—they are the "words" that drive sentences by expressing actions or states.
In the sentence "She runs quickly," "runs" is the verb.
Every complete sentence must contain a subject and a verb.
The verb "to be" is irregular in many languages.
Teachers often ask students to underline the verb in a sentence.
Changing the verb tense can alter the meaning of a sentence entirely.