280 Non-Action Verb Examples (With Sentence Context)

What Are Non-Action Verbs?

Non-action verbs (also called stative verbs) describe a state, condition, feeling, or possession, not an action. These verbs usually don’t appear in continuous tenses (e.g. I am knowing ❌).

These verbs are essential for expressing emotions, opinions, senses, and relationships. They’re everywhere in natural English speech and writing. You can read all about non-action verbs, and below we will explore 280 examples.

200 Non-Action Verb Examples in Sentences

Grouped by theme for easy reference:

1. Verbs of Thought / Opinion

Verb	Example Sentence
believe	I believe in second chances.
know	She knows the answer already.
understand	Do you understand the question?
think	I think we should leave now.
remember	He remembers his childhood clearly.
forget	Don’t forget your keys again.
recognise	I recognise that song from the radio.
imagine	Can you imagine a world without music?
suppose	I suppose we could try another way.
mean	What do you mean by that?
realise	She realised her mistake too late.
guess	I guess you’re right.
assume	Never assume someone’s feelings.
conclude	I concluded the test was fair.
consider	We’re considering moving to Spain.
expect	They expect results by Friday.
predict	Can you predict the outcome?
agree	We agree on most things.
disagree	They disagree about politics.
judge	Don’t judge a book by its cover.
notice	I didn’t notice the typo.
wonder	I wonder why he’s late.
decide	We decided to stay in.
recall	I can’t recall the name.
analyse	The teacher analysed the essay.
estimate	We estimate the cost to be high.
evaluate	Please evaluate this solution.
perceive	I perceive tension in the room.
deduce	She deduced he was lying.
interpret	I interpret his silence as confusion.
assess	We need to assess the damage.
verify	Can you verify the data?
comprehend	He couldn’t comprehend the problem.
assume	They assumed it was closed.
observe	Did you observe the change?
speculate	We can only speculate for now.
reflect	He reflected on his past choices.
learn	She learns new things quickly.
question	I question his intentions.
envision	I envision a better future.

2. Verbs of Emotion / Feeling

Verb	Example Sentence
like	I like your new haircut.
love	She loves her family very much.
hate	He hates waiting in line.
prefer	I prefer tea over coffee.
enjoy	They enjoy listening to jazz music.
fear	Many people fear public speaking.
desire	He desires a more peaceful life.
detest	I detest lies and dishonesty.
dislike	She dislikes crowded places.
adore	They adore their new puppy.
resent	I resent being treated unfairly.
envy	He envies her success.
appreciate	I really appreciate your help.
miss	I miss my hometown dearly.
care	I care deeply about the environment.
sympathise	I sympathise with his situation.
disapprove	They disapprove of the decision.
admire	She admires his bravery.
rejoice	They rejoiced in their freedom.
worry	Parents often worry about their children.
regret	I regret saying that to her.
care for	I deeply care for my grandmother.
be fond of	He’s fond of classical music.
be tired of	I’m tired of arguing.
be into	She’s really into photography.
be afraid of	He’s afraid of spiders.
loathe	I loathe doing taxes.
be proud of	They’re proud of their work.
be obsessed with	He’s obsessed with fitness.
be bored with	I’m bored with this show.
be excited about	We’re excited about the trip.
be annoyed by	I’m annoyed by the noise.
be disappointed in	I’m disappointed in you.
be frustrated with	I’m frustrated with this task.
be thankful for	I’m thankful for your help.
be interested in	I’m interested in psychology.
be concerned about	I’m concerned about your health.
be shocked by	She was shocked by the news.
be impressed by	I was impressed by his speech.
be upset about	He’s upset about the loss.

3. Verbs of the Senses

Verb	Example Sentence
see	I see dark clouds in the sky.
hear	Can you hear that music?
smell	This soup smells delicious.
taste	The cake tastes amazing.
feel	This blanket feels soft.
look	You look tired today.
sound	That idea sounds great.
seem	He seems very kind.
appear	She appears worried.
resemble	You resemble your mother.
notice	Did you notice the new logo?
observe	We observed a strange noise.
detect	I detected a hint of sarcasm.
perceive	He perceived a threat in her tone.
glimpse	I glimpsed a deer in the woods.
peek	He peeked through the curtain.
stink	The bin stinks of old food.
reek	His socks reek after gym class.
sniff	She sniffed the milk and frowned.
scent	I scent lavender in the air.
tingle	My fingers tingle in the cold.
itch	My back itches terribly.
tinge	The air tinged with smoke.
radiate	The wall radiates warmth.
echo	Her voice echoed in the room.
vibrate	The floor vibrated during the concert.
hum	The fridge hums quietly.
glow	The lamp glows softly in the dark.
shine	The moon shines brightly tonight.
glimmer	A light glimmered in the distance.

4. Verbs of Possession

Verb	Example Sentence
have	I have three brothers.
own	They own a house in the countryside.
belong	This pen belongs to me.
possess	He possesses great knowledge of history.
include	The price includes breakfast.
contain	The box contains old photos.
lack	She lacks confidence.
owe	I owe him £20.
need	You need a passport to travel.
want	I want a new laptop.
deserve	You deserve a break after all that work.
cost	The shoes cost £50.
measure	The room measures 10 square metres.
weigh	The suitcase weighs 22 kilograms.
consist of	The meal consists of rice and vegetables.
include	The team includes several international players.
require	This job requires patience and precision.
resemble	The child resembles his father.
inherit	He inherited the house from his aunt.
claim	She claims ownership of the painting.
rent	We rent a flat in the city centre.
lease	They lease their car for three years.
borrow	Can I borrow your charger?
lend	I can lend you some money.
keep	He keeps all his documents in a safe.
save	She saves her receipts in a folder.
store	The files are stored digitally.
obtain	You must obtain a visa before travelling.
acquire	They acquired the company last year.
purchase	We purchased a new sofa online.
gain	He gained control of the business.
access	She has access to all the records.
occupy	They occupy the flat on the top floor.
own up	He finally owned up to breaking it.
hold	I hold a valid driver’s licence.

5. Verbs of Relationships / Description

Verb	Example Sentence
belong	This pen belongs to me.
contain	The box contains old photographs.
include	The tour includes lunch and drinks.
consist	The team consists of five members.
depend	It depends on the weather.
involve	The project involves several departments.
own	She owns three houses in London.
possess	He possesses great leadership skills.
lack	They lack experience in this field.
resemble	The child resembles his grandfather.
connect	We’re connected by blood.
relate	I can relate to your experience.
match	These socks don’t match.
fit	This shirt doesn’t fit me anymore.
suit	The job suits you perfectly.
agree	We agree on most issues.
disagree	They disagree about the budget.
differ	Our opinions differ slightly.
oppose	They oppose the new law.
concern	This problem concerns all of us.
matter	It doesn’t matter to me.
mean	What does this word mean?
signify	The red light signifies danger.
symbolise	The dove symbolises peace.
describe	He described the scene in detail.
represent	This icon represents the menu.
define	How would you define happiness?
name	She named her son Arthur.
identify	I identify as a visual learner.
recognise	I recognised her voice immediately.

6. Business, Money, and Numbers

Verb	Example Sentence
cost	This new laptop costs over £1,000.
owe	I owe the bank a lot of money.
own	She owns a small business in London.
earn	He earns a decent salary as a manager.
spend	They spend too much on advertising.
save	We save money by buying in bulk.
afford	I can't afford to go on holiday this year.
include	The invoice includes VAT.
exclude	The offer excludes delivery charges.
owe	You still owe me £20 from last week.
amount	The total amounts to over £5,000.
depend	Profit depends on market demand.
lack	The report lacks clear financial data.
belong	That money belongs to the company.
mean	What does “net profit” mean?
represent	The graph represents sales in Q1.
relate	This issue relates to customer refunds.
concern	This policy concerns all departments.
matter	Every penny matters in a small business.
weigh	The pros and cons must be weighed carefully.
equal	Expenses must equal income to break even.
apply	The discount applies only to members.
relate	This course relates to financial planning.
contain	The proposal contains errors.
consist	The bonus consists of shares and cash.
include	Our services include design and marketing.
measure	We measure success by client satisfaction.
gain	We gained market share last quarter.
lose	The company lost £2 million last year.
belong	Those assets belong to the shareholders.

7. Other Common Non-Action Verbs

Verb	Example Sentence
seem	It seems like he’s unhappy with the results.
appear	She appears to be confused about the instructions.
look	You look tired today.
sound	This plan sounds great to me.
smell	The food smells delicious.
taste	This soup tastes strange.
feel	This fabric feels soft and smooth.
resemble	The baby resembles her mother.
exist	Unicorns do not exist.
remain	The weather remained cold all week.
lie	The answer lies in the data.
fit	This dress doesn’t fit me anymore.
match	These socks don’t match.
matter	It doesn’t matter what people say.
concern	That issue concerns all of us.
include	The tour includes meals and tickets.
involve	The job involves travelling abroad.
consist	The course consists of 10 modules.
contain	The box contains old photographs.
own	I own two guitars and a piano.
owe	You owe me an explanation.
mean	What does “flexible” mean in this context?
belong	This pen belongs to Sarah.
depend	It depends on your schedule.
need	You need more sleep.
want	I want a new phone.
wish	I wish I could speak French.
hope	We hope for good weather tomorrow.
suppose	I suppose it could be true.
prefer	I prefer tea over coffee.

280 Non-Action Verb Examples in Sentences