Verb It! 100 Nouns Also Used as Verbs in English (Includes Pictures)

100 Nouns Also Used as Verbs in English aka "Verbing" or "Verbifying" Nouns in English

Recommended level: Pre-advanced (B2)

There are many English words which can commonly function as nouns or verbs. While you can technically "verbify" (or "verb") any noun in English, it doesn't always work, so I have done my best to make this list practical for English learners. With that in mind, this list features 100 of the most common words which are typically used as nouns, but which can be used as verbs just as often. I have included examples so you can see the differences between the two parts of speech. Please note that while this is not a comprehensive list, it is a very extensive one. I hope you enjoy it!

100 Nouns Also Used as Verbs

access

Noun: I need an administrator to give me access to the file.

Verb: I can't access the file.

address

Noun: Where do you live? What's your address?

Verb: Deborah is going to address the team at the end of the day. (stress is on the second syllable: uh-DRES)

alarm

Noun: Don't forget to set your alarm for 5 a.m. tomorrow.

Verb: I don't mean to alarm you, but your mother-in-law just arrived.

anchor

Noun: Does every large ship have an anchor on board?

Verb: We need to anchor the tent so the wind doesn't blow it away.

answer

Noun: Do you know the answer to this question?

Verb: I've sent them an email about the problem, but they haven't answered back yet.

attack

Noun: There have been numerous verbal attacks against him.

Verb: The team shouldn't be defending right now. They should be attacking!

balance

Noun: Being someone's friend while being their boss is a difficult balance.

Verb: My cousin Mikey can balance a basketball on his head.

ban

Noun: The school has implemented a ban on cellphones in classrooms.

Verb: I can't believe they banned that book from the library.

bin

Noun: Why did you throw it into the trash bin?

Verb: Why did you bin my old toys? (informal British English for "put into the trash")

blame

Noun: Who will take the blame for the mistake?

Verb: Don't blame me. I didn't do it.

board

Noun: Could you move to the left a little so that I can see what the teacher wrote on the board?

Verb: What time are they going to board the plane? (get on; enter)

book

Noun: Whose book is this?

Verb: The restaurant doesn't have any tables available. We should have booked in advance. (made a reservation)

bottle

Noun: Could you pass me that bottle of ketchup? Thanks.

Verb: It's not healthy to bottle your emotions. (hide or hold in your emotions instead of expressing them honestly)

My parents bottle their own wine. I think they have at least twenty bottles in the cellar.

branch

Noun: Can you climb to the third highest branch of that tree?

Verb: We're trying to branch our products into international markets.

bridge

Noun: They've been building that bridge for over two years.

Verb: We need to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be as a company.

broadcast

Noun: Is this a live broadcast or was it recorded earlier?

Verb: It's rarely a good idea to broadcast your feelings all over the internet.

bug

Noun: Dad! There's a bug in the bathtub! Can you come in here, please?!

Verb: Don't bug me when I'm on my lunch break. (bother)

bump

Noun: I have a small bump on my head.

Verb: I bumped my head into the door.

call

Noun: We received a call from the police.

Verb: The police called us.

challenge

Noun: We have had to overcome many challenges recently.

Verb: Their company challenged us to improve our product.

charge

Noun: What is the charge for the car rental?

Verb: How much did they charge you for the car rental?

cheer

Noun: You could hear the crowd cheer from outside the stadium.

Verb: The crowd cheered loudly at the end of the president's speech.

circle

Noun: She's an amazing artist. She can draw a perfect circle freehand. (freehand = just with her hand; without the aid of a drawing tool such as a compass)

Verb: He's getting married on June 9th. Make sure you circle the date on your calendar.

coach

Noun: The soccer team is looking for a new coach.

Verb: The team needs someone new to coach them.

command

Noun: His command was clear and direct.

Verb: I command you to stop interfering in this investigation.

corner

Noun: When I said, "Clean your room," I didn't mean, "Push all of your garbage into one corner."

Verb: I'm worried that my boss is going to corner me and ask me why I didn't finish the project this week. (confront or trap in a way that forces their target to interact with them)

crack

Noun: There's a crack in the kitchen floor.

Verb: You're going to crack your phone screen if you keep doing that.

cry

Noun: We heard a loud cry, so we ran over immediately.

Verb: You don't have to feel embarrassed in front of me. It's okay to cry.

dance

Noun: Is the Tango a difficult dance to master?

Verb: Do you know how to dance the Tango?

date

Noun: We went on a date last night.

Verb: Albert and Jenny dated in high school.

deal

Noun: Five dollars? That's a very good deal.

Verb: How do you deal with stress at work?

delay

Noun: Our plane had a three-hour delay.

Verb: We can't delay our plans for much longer.

design

Noun: Their logo has a very clean design.

Verb: We can design a new logo for you.

dream

Noun: I had a dream about you last night.

Verb: I often dream about my parents.

I often dream of flying. Have you ever had a flying dream?

drum

Noun: I want to buy a hand drum from Steve's Music Store.

Verb: We have a guitarist and a bassist. Now we just need someone who can drum.

elbow

Noun: Ow! I hit my elbow against the edge of the door.

Verb: Be careful! You almost elbowed me in the ribs. (hit with your elbow)

email

Noun: Did you receive my email?

Verb: Could you email me the details?

end

Noun: What happened at the end of the movie?

Verb: They're going to end the program next month.

exercise

Noun: I need more exercise.

Verb: I should exercise more.

face

Noun: You don't need makeup. Your face is naturally beautiful.

Verb: You need to face your fears. (confront)

fight

Noun: The fight was over in twenty seconds.

Verb: They always fight about money.

film

Noun: I loved that film! I saw it three times in theatres.

Verb: They didn't pay anyone to film the wedding ceremony.

fish

Noun: How many fish did you catch?

Verb: I used to fish with my dad all the time when I was a kid.

flag

Noun: Which country's flag has a red dragon on it?

Verb: If there are any problems, I will make sure to flag them. (identify or mark)

flood

Noun: Did you read about the flood downtown? There was water everywhere!

Verb: Make sure you close your windows before you go on vacation. You don't want a storm to flood your basement.

focus

Noun: What's the main focus of this meeting?

Verb: I'm tired and I can't focus. I think I need a coffee.

Google/google

Noun: Have you tried looking that up on Google?

Verb: Have you tried googling it? (use a lowercase 'G' for the verb form)

guess

Noun: I didn't know the answer, so I just took a guess.

Verb: Guess what? My parents are moving to Portugal!

hammer

Noun: For that job, you'll definitely need a hammer.

Verb: Are you sure it's safe to hammer this nail into this part of the wall?

hand

Noun: Do you need a hand with that? ("need a hand" = informal for "need help")

Verb: Could you hand me the scissors? (pass or give)

head

Noun: My head hurts. I think I have a headache.

Verb: I think I'm going to head home. (informal way to say "go in the direction of" or "go")

hit

Noun: "I Did it My Way" was a big hit for Frank Sinatra.

Verb: I hit my head and felt dizzy for a few seconds.

hope

Noun: The world can't survive without love and hope.

Verb: I hope to see you soon!

hug

Noun: Do you need a hug?

Verb: Do you want me to hug you?

jump

Noun: That was an incredible jump!

Verb: How high can you jump?

judge

Noun: He's a good judge of character.

Verb: Look at yourself before you judge others.

kick

Noun: That was a powerful kick! The fall blew fifty meters!

Verb: Ow! Why did you kick me?

kiss

Noun: In many fairy tales, a single kiss fixes everything.

Verb: We never kiss in public.

knee

Noun: I hurt my knee while I was hiking up a mountain.

Verb: If someone tries to attack you, try to knee them in the groin. (hit with your knee)

light

Noun: Could you turn on the light?

Verb: It's time to light the birthday candles!

lock

Noun: Someone broke the lock to my office and stole my laptop.

Verb: Remember to lock the door before you leave.

love

Noun: He cares about you. I can see the love in his eyes when he looks at you.

Verb: I love you.

marathon

Noun: Kevin finished his first marathon on Sunday!

Verb: We're going to marathon the Lord of the Rings movies this weekend. Want to join? (watch a long series of something from beginning to end without stopping)

message

Noun: Did you get my message?

Verb: I'll message you later, okay?

microwave

Noun: Who left their food in the microwave?

Verb: Could you microwave this for me? It just needs a minute.

milk

Noun: We're out of milk. Could you buy some when you go to the store today?

Verb: Do you know how to milk a cow?

If you want cow's milk, you have to milk a cow.

mirror

Noun: We need to buy a new mirror for the bathroom.

Verb: Don't mirror your sister's poor behaviour. (copy, resemble, or reflect)

name

Noun: I'm sorry, but I've forgotten your name.

Verb: Can you name six countries in South America?

nail

Noun: It's rude to bite your nails in public.

Verb: Did you hear him sing at Cathy's wedding? He nailed it! (nail something = complete a task perfectly or to a very high degree of quality)

need

Noun: There's a strong need for unity in the world right now.

Verb: How many more volunteers do we need?

offer

Noun: They made a strong offer for the house.

Verb: Besides a good sales record, what can you offer our company?

order

Noun: Welcome to Alex's Breakfast Restaurant. May I take your order?

Verb: I ordered it last week, but it hasn't arrived yet.

pack

Noun: How much does it cost for a pack of cookies?

Verb: Don't forget to pack your lunch.

park

Noun: If you like green space, this city has a lot of beautiful parks.

Verb: Where should I park my car?

pet

Noun: My parents won't let me get a pet. They say it's too much responsibility.

Verb: Can I pet your dog? (stroke gently and affectionately)

picture

Noun: Excuse me. Could you please take our picture?

Verb: I'm sorry, Larry, but I just can't picture the two you together. (imagine)

place

Noun: Can we find a place to talk that's a little quieter?

Verb: Why did you place the lamp in the middle of the kitchen table? That seems very impractical. (put)

question

Noun: Hey. Can I ask you a question?

Verb: The police questioned him for over two hours.

quote

Noun: There's a famous quote which says, "Dance like there's nobody watching."

Verb: You said, and I quote, "English is easy!" Are you sure about that?

race

Noun: That was such an exciting race!

Verb: I'll race you to the top of the hill. Ready? Set? Go!

rain

Noun: We haven't had any rain all month.

Verb: Bring an umbrella. It's supposed to rain this afternoon.

ring

Noun: How much did you pay for your wife's wedding ring?

Verb: Could you ring the doorbell? My hands are full.

sail

Noun: She replaced the sail on her boat last week.

Verb: Do you know how to sail a boat like this?

salt

Noun: I cut down on salt, and I've never felt better in my life!

Verb: Did you salt the steaks? This one doesn't have a lot of flavour.

screen

Noun: I spend too much time staring at my phone screen every day.

Verb: How many job candidates do you plan to screen for this position? (evaluate before interviewing to make sure they are suitable for the position)

season

Noun: Fall is my favourite season.

Verb: What did you use to season the meat? It tastes great. (add herbs and/or spices to add flavor to food)

shadow

Noun: Your shadow is longest in the early morning and early evening, when the sun is low.

Verb: This is Brent. He's going to shadow you for the day so he can learn what you do at your job. (follow; also, mimic)

ship

Noun: Have you ever been on a cruise ship?

Verb: They sent me an email which said they will ship the item tomorrow.

shower

Noun: Who's in the shower right now? They've been washing themselves for over ten minutes.

Verb: Do you want to shower next, or can I go before you?

space

Noun: I wish our apartment had more space. It feels small.

Verb: To prepare for the meeting, could you please space the chairs at least one meter apart?

spoon

Noun: Could you get me a spoon for my soup? Thanks.

Verb: It's been a long day. Can we just spoon for a few minutes?

"Can I spoon you?" Hugging someone in bed like this is called "spooning" because it's like two spoons lying together.

stamp

Noun: I need to buy a stamp so I can mail this letter to my parents.

Verb: They stamp the company logo on every letter they send.

test

Noun: Did you pass your driving test?

Verb: Whenever possible, you should test electronics before you buy them.

text

Noun: I'll send you a text about it later. (also, "a text message")

Verb: Could you text me the address?

train

Noun: We're taking the train from Montreal to Toronto.

Verb: If you want to be a good soccer player, you have to train hard.

trash

Noun: Throw this in the trash, please.

Verb: You can have your birthday party here if you promise that your friends won't trash the house. (damage, destroy, or cause disorder)

value

Noun: What's the value of this house?

Verb: I came to you for advice because I really value your opinion.

voice

Noun: She has a beautiful singing voice.

Verb: Thank you for voicing your concerns.

water

Noun: Plants need water to survive.

Verb: Did you remember to water the flowers?

wave

Noun: Here comes a big wave! Get ready to swim!

Verb: Hey, look. It's Meg. Wave "Hello" to her! (move your arm from side to side to greet someone or to say goodbye)

That's it! Thank you for learning and for practicing your English with me. If you enjoy my resources, please consider purchasing one of my books to support me and to continue improving your English. Until next time, keep learning and keep practicing.

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