Verbs for Non-Human Movement · Verbs: Movement

(of birds) to rise or ascend to an elevated position

"The eagle towers high."

"The tall skyscraper towers above all the other buildings in the city and can be seen from miles away."

(of a spacecraft or aircraft) to leave the ground, particularly vertically

"The rocket will lift off soon."

"The space shuttle lifted off from the launch pad exactly on schedule for its mission to the International Space Station."

to turn or move around a center

"The earth rotates on its axis."

"The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty four hours which causes day and night cycles."

to move around a star, planet, or a large object in space

"Satellites orbit the Earth at high speed."

"The International Space Station orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately two hundred fifty miles."

to turn or move around an axis or center

"The Earth revolves around the Sun."

"The earth continues to revolve around the sun once every three hundred sixty five days which gives us our yearly calendar and the changing seasons."

to move in a twisting or whirling motion, creating a pattern of circular or spiral motion

"The water swirls down the drain."

"The colorful leaves swirled in the autumn wind before finally landing gently on the ground below."

to move or extend in a continuous and widening circular pattern

"Prices spiral upward during inflation."

"The leaves spiraled down from the tree as the autumn wind gently blew them across the yard."

to turn or move in a spiral motion

"The dancer will gyrate."

"The top began to gyrate wildly on the table before it finally slowed down and fell over."

to bounce back after hitting a surface

"The ball rebounded off the wall."

"The basketball rebounded off the backboard and the tall player caught it and scored easily."

to spring back from an impact by bouncing off a surface at an angle

"The bullet ricochets off the wall."

"The bullet ricocheted off the concrete wall and hit a nearby car instead of its intended target."

to move rapidly back and forth or up and down with small movements

"The phone vibrates silently during meetings."

"The floor began to vibrate as the heavy trucks drove past the old house on the rough road."

to move down on something or someone with a sudden, swift action, typically with the intention of seizing or capturing

"The cat pounces on the mouse."

"The cat waited patiently and then pounced on the toy mouse that was moving across the floor."

(of a train) to accidentally go off the tracks

"The train derailed near the station."

"The heavy snow caused the train to derail but fortunately no one was seriously injured."

to move smoothly and quietly, like a snake

"The snake slithered through the grass silently."

"The long snake began to slither silently through the tall grass toward the unsuspecting mouse that was nibbling on a seed."

to descend quickly and suddenly, often used to describe the action of birds or aircraft

"The hawk swoops down fast."

"The fighter jet will swoop down from the clouds to surprise the enemy forces below."

to move from a lower to a higher position

"The sun will rise."

"The hot air balloon began to rise slowly into the clear blue sky."

to go higher while flying

"The bird will soar."

"With the updraft, the eagle began to soar effortlessly above the rugged mountain peaks."

to rotate or spin around an axis or center point

"The wheel will go around."

"There is not enough cake to go around because more people showed up than we expected."

to turn or spin rapidly in a twisting motion

"The dancer whirls across the stage."

"The dancer began to whirl across the stage as the orchestra played a beautiful waltz that captivated everyone."

to move with a rapid up-and-down motion

"The bird flapped its wings wildly."

"The large bird began to flap its enormous wings wildly as it prepared to take off from the ground."

to move swiftly through the air, generating a whistling or buzzing sound

"The car will whizz by."

"The supersonic jet will whizz across the sky, leaving a trail of condensation behind it."

(of wind or an air current) to move or be in motion

"The wind will blow."

"The strong wind began to blow fiercely, rustling the leaves and making the trees sway dramatically."

to emerge or come up to the top layer of a liquid or material

"The submarine surfaces after long immersion."

"The submarine waited for hours before finally deciding to surface and allow fresh air into the vessel."