280 Non-Action Verb Examples in Sentences

Non-action verbs and their role in making English sentences grammatically correct.

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.

280 Non-Action Verb Examples in Sentences

Grouped by theme for easy reference.

1. Verbs of Thought / Opinion

Non-action verbs of thought and opinion describe what people know, believe, remember, or understand. These stative verbs show mental states rather than actions, which is why you will find them in the simple tense rather than continuous forms. Learning these non-action verb examples in sentences will help you express ideas and opinions clearly in English.

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

Verbs of emotion and feeling, such as love, like, hate, and prefer, are classic non-action verbs because they describe states of the heart, not physical activity. When you study these stative verb examples, you will see how they help you communicate your feelings naturally in everyday English.

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

Non-action verbs of the senses include see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. These verbs describe perception and are usually used in the simple form, not with -ing. By checking these non-action verb sentences, learners can better understand how to talk about experiences and impressions in English.

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

Possession verbs such as have, own, belong, and possess show ownership or relationships between people and things. Because they express states rather than activities, they are typical non-action verb examples. Mastering these verbs will allow you to speak more accurately about what you or others have.

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

This group of non-action verbs includes words like be, seem, look, and appear. They describe relationships, conditions, or ways things are perceived. These non-action verb sentences help learners describe people and situations in English without confusing action and state verbs.

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

In business English, non-action verbs such as owe, cost, owe, and weigh are common. They deal with value, price, and quantity rather than actions. These non-action verb examples are useful for learners who want to communicate clearly in work or financial situations.

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

There are many other non-action verbs that describe general states, including matter, exist, and depend. These verbs are important for both spoken and written English. Reviewing these non-action verbs in sentences will help you become confident in recognising and using them correctly.

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.
Non-Action Verbs