Verbs for Sensory Actions, Verbs for Vision, Verbs for Visibility and 5 More Topics · Verbs: Verbs Of Senses And Emotions

to notice the sound a person or thing is making

"Can you hear the dog?"

"Can you hear the gentle rain tapping on the roof? It's quite soothing."

to listen to a conversation or communication without participating

"Please do not listen in."

"It is considered rude to listen in on private conversations without permission."

to recognize or become aware of a particular scent

"I smell smoke."

"She could immediately smell the distinct aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from the kitchen."

to detect a faint scent by inhaling through the nose

"I whiff the flower."

"She could faintly whiff the aroma of baking bread emanating from the kitchen."

to inhale air audibly through the nose, often to detect or identify a scent or odor

"The dog sniffed the suspicious package."

"The detective would sniff the air carefully, trying to discern any unusual scents that might provide a clue."

to be able to recognize the flavor of something by eating or drinking it

"I can taste the salt."

"He could distinctly taste the subtle notes of cinnamon and nutmeg in the warm apple pie."

to put our hand or body part on a thing or person

"Do not touch the hot stove."

"The sign on the museum wall warned visitors not to touch the ancient artifacts because the oils on their skin could cause damage."

to be aware of something or someone through touching or being touched

"I feel the soft fur."

"He could feel the gentle vibrations of the approaching train through the platform."

to notice a thing or person with our eyes

"I can see the cat."

"From the mountaintop, we could clearly see the entire valley spread out below us."

to turn our eyes toward a person or thing that we want to see

"Look at the beautiful painting."

"Look at the beautiful sunset painting the sky in shades of orange pink and purple."

to raise one's eyes from something one is looking at downwards

"Look up at the sky."

"She had to look up from her book to greet the unexpected visitor at the door."

to turn your head to see the surroundings

"Let's look around here."

"Before buying the house we took some time to look around the neighborhood and talk to the friendly residents living nearby."

to look at a thing or person and pay attention to it for some time

"Watch the movie with subtitles."

"The children love to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings while eating a big bowl of sugary cereal."

to carefully look at something

"View the painting from a distance."

"You can view the beautiful sunset from the top of the hill if you arrive there at least thirty minutes before the sun goes down."

to carefully watch something in order gain knowledge or understanding about the subject

"The scientist observed the cells dividing."

"The biologist spent several weeks in the rainforest to observe the behavior of a rare species of monkey in its natural habitat."

to quickly read a document or other text without paying attention to details, only to find the information one needs

"Scan the document quickly."

"He decided to scan the article for keywords rather than reading it thoroughly."

to notice or see someone or something that is hard to do so

"She spots her friend in the crowd."

"The eagle spotted a small rabbit in the grass below and immediately dove down to catch its prey."

to see an act of crime or an accident

"She witnessed the terrible accident."

"The journalist was eager to witness the signing of the historic peace treaty between the two warring nations."

to adjust or bring an image or view into clear and sharp detail, typically by adjusting the eyes, lens, or camera settings

"Focus on the bird."

"The photographer expertly adjusted the lens to focus the image with remarkable clarity."

to look with eyes half-opened when hit by light, or as a sign of suspicion, etc.

"He squints in the bright sunlight."

"The old man had to squint to read the small print on the medicine bottle because his eyesight was very poor."

to take a closer look at something by paying attention to it, often by making it bigger or clearer

"Zoom in on the ant."

"The documentary director chose to zoom in on the intricate details of the insect's life."

to become visible and noticeable

"The sun will appear."

"After the storm clouds dissipated, the sun began to appear, casting a warm glow."

to become visible after coming out of somewhere

"New evidence emerges during the investigation."

"The sun finally emerged from behind the dark clouds after three days of continuous heavy rain and gloomy weather."

to cause someone to feel or experience a particular emotion, often unexpectedly.

"It will come up."

"The unexpected news seemed to come up out of nowhere, leaving everyone in shock."

to become evident

"The truth will show up."

"Despite his attempts to conceal it, the evidence eventually began to show up, revealing his guilt."

to make something visible

"Please reveal the gift."

"The magician's final trick was to reveal a dove that had seemingly vanished into thin air."

to reveal, uncover, or make visible something that was hidden or covered

"The article exposes government corruption."

"The investigative journalist risked her career to expose government corruption and hold powerful officials accountable."

to reveal something by uncovering it

"Do not disclose secrets."

"The company was legally obligated to disclose all relevant financial information to its shareholders."

to reveal something by removing a cover or obstacle

"We uncovered the truth at last."

"The investigative journalist worked hard to uncover the truth about the corruption scandal hidden by the government."

to remove a cover from a statue, painting, etc. for the people to see, particularly as part of a public ceremony

"They will unveil it."

"The mayor will officially unveil the new public monument during the city's centennial celebration."

to remove something of a covering, coating, or layer

"Strip the paint."

"The restoration team will carefully strip the old varnish to reveal the original wood beneath."

to provide light to something, making it brighter

"The lamp illuminates the dark room."

"The bright lamp helped to illuminate the dark corner of the room so we could finally see clearly."

to make something visible or noticeable

"Show me the way."

"The artist chose to show his latest collection of vibrant paintings at the prestigious gallery."

to publicly show something

"The museum will display rare artifacts."

"The museum will display rare artifacts from ancient Egypt for the first time in over fifty years."

to show a video or film in a movie theater or on TV

"The theater screens the new film."

"The festival will screen more than fifty independent films from different countries over the course of ten days."

to present or show something publicly to inform or entertain an audience

"The artist will exhibit new paintings."

"The artist will exhibit her latest paintings at the downtown gallery starting next Friday evening."

to proudly display the positive qualities or attributes of something in order to showcase its best features

"Show off your skills."

"The talented artist decided to show off her latest masterpiece at the prestigious gallery opening."

to no longer be able to be seen

"The sun disappears at night completely."

"The magician made the rabbit disappear from the hat with a clever trick."

to suddenly and mysteriously disappear without explanation

"The magician makes the rabbit vanish suddenly."

"The magician made the coin vanish from his hand and then reappear behind the ear of a surprised child."

to keep something in a secret place, preventing it from being seen

"Hide the gift behind your back."

"The little boy tried to hide behind the curtain so his mother could not find him."

to hide something, often by placing it out of sight

"Secrete the key."

"The spy was instructed to secrete the classified documents in a hidden compartment within his luggage."

to cover or hide something from sight, often by placing it in the ground or covering it with another material

"Bury the treasure chest."

"The pirates decided to bury their ill-gotten gains on a deserted island, marking the spot carefully."

to produce a deep and rich sound that lingers or echoes

"The bell will resonate."

"The deep tones of the ancient bell began to resonate throughout the valley, creating a solemn atmosphere."

to make a noise

"The dog will sound."

"The alarm system is designed to sound loudly if any unauthorized entry is detected."

to make a repeated and reflected sound

"The sound will echo."

"The cavern caused the explorer's voice to echo loudly, creating a haunting symphony."

to make a low and continuous humming or vibrating sound, like the sound of a bee or a motor

"Bees buzz around the blooming flowers."

"The bee buzzed around the flower garden searching for nectar on a warm sunny afternoon."

(particularly of a horn or electronic device) to make a short, often high-pitched sound as a signal or alert

"The horn will beep."

"The microwave oven will beep loudly when the cooking cycle has been completed."

to make a loud, deep, continuous, and powerful sound, usually with a low pitch

"The lion will roar."

"The powerful engine began to roar, signaling the start of the thrilling race."

to create a loud, deep sound that resonates, often with a low tone

"The cannon will boom."

"The unexpected thunderclap caused the windows to rattle and the doors to boom."

(of animals, especially pigs) to make a low sound from the nose and throat

"Pigs grunt in mud."

"The weightlifter grunted loudly as he struggled to lift the heavy barbell above his head during the competition."

to produce a high-pitched, unpleasant, screechy sound

"The mouse will whine."

"The broken toy began to whine mournfully, much to the child's distress."

to create a gentle, crackling sound, similar to dry leaves or paper moving

"The leaves will rustle."

"A gentle breeze made the dry autumn leaves rustle, creating a peaceful soundscape."

to make a loud, harsh, piercing sound, like that of tires sliding on pavement

"The car screeched to a halt."

"The driver had to screech his brakes suddenly to avoid hitting a dog that ran into the middle of the road."

to make a low, continuous, and steady sound

"The engine did hum."

"A low, steady hum emanated from the refrigerator throughout the quiet night."

to make a low sound that often expresses pain, grief, or disappointment

"The patient moaned in pain."

"The injured patient continued to moan softly in his sleep as the nurse checked his vital signs."

to make a noise, often by crushing or crunching something

"The paper will scrunch."

"He would scrunch the paper into a ball, then toss it into the waste bin."

to produce a brief, high-pitched sound

"The bell will ping."

"The notification on his phone would ping, interrupting his concentration."

to make a sudden light sound like a small explosion

"The cork will pop."

"The balloon suddenly popped and scared the little baby who then started to cry loudly."

to make a rhythmic sound by hitting something consistently, commonly used in the context of music or drumming

"The drummer beats out rhythm."

"The drummer began to beat out a steady rhythm on his snare drum."

to make a sound or noise so loud that it covers up other sounds

"The music will drown out."

"The loud music from the party next door began to drown out our conversation."

to make happy sounds and move our face like we are smiling because something is funny

"The joke made everyone laugh loudly."

"The comedian told such a funny joke that everyone in the audience began to laugh uncontrollably."

to laugh loudly and harshly, often in a way that sounds unpleasant or wicked

"The witch will cackle."

"The villain let out an evil cackle as his wicked plan finally came to fruition."

to have tears coming from your eyes as a result of a strong emotion such as sadness, pain, or sorrow

"The baby began to cry loudly."

"The baby began to cry loudly because she was hungry and wanted her mother to feed her."

to begin to cry or become emotional

"She will tear up."

"Upon hearing the sad news, she began to tear up, unable to contain her emotions."

to cry in a loud manner with strong emotions or distress

"The baby will bawl."

"The hungry infant would bawl incessantly until his needs were met by his parents."

to agree with the truth of something, particularly in an unwilling manner

"He finally agreed to admit his mistake."

"After hours of interrogation the suspect finally admitted to committing the crime and apologized for his actions."

to share or express one's personal thoughts, emotions, or experiences with someone else

"She finally opened up about her feelings."

"The shy student finally opened up about her feelings during the counseling session and began to cry."

to openly and confidently admit or declare something

"He will avow."

"The politician was forced to avow his true intentions to the skeptical electorate."

to strongly express one's feelings, particularly one's anger

"He will vent."

"She needed to vent her frustration about the unfair situation to a trusted friend."

to reluctantly admit that something is true after denying it first

"He had to concede."

"Despite initial resistance, the politician had to concede that the public's concerns were valid."

to maintain thoughts, feelings, or emotions, often over time

"She will harbor."

"Despite his apology, she continued to harbor resentment towards him for his past actions."

to carefully hold and nurture a thought, feeling, or theory within oneself over time without expressing them openly

"He will nurse."

"He continued to nurse a secret ambition for years before finally revealing it."

to suppress one's emotions or feelings

"She will keep in."

"It's unhealthy to keep in all your anger; you should find a way to express it."

to understand and share the feelings of someone, showing empathy and compassion for what they are going through

"I will sympathize."

"We must sympathize with those who are suffering from the devastating natural disaster."

to be able to comprehend and empathize with someone else's feelings, problems etc.

"I will understand."

"It is important to understand your friend's feelings during this difficult time."

to attend to the needs, safety, and happiness of someone or something

"She will care."

"She always tries to care for her elderly neighbors and assist them with errands."

to care for the needs of someone or something with attention and responsibility

"You will tend."

"Nurses tend to the sick and injured with dedication and professional expertise."

to feel a connection or understanding with someone or something

"I relate to that feeling."

"It is easy to relate to the protagonist's struggles in the novel."