transitive and intransitive verbs

English verbs are split into two major categories depending on how they function in a sentence: transitive and intransitive. Transitive verbs take one or more objects in a sentence, while intransitive verbs take no objects in a sentence.

Put simply, a transitive verb describes an action that is happening to something or someone, which is known as the verb’s direct object.

An intransitive verb, on the other hand, describes an action that does not happen to something or someone.

tran·si·tive

(trăn′sĭ-tĭv, -zĭ-)

adj.

1. Abbr. trans. or tr. or t. Grammar Expressing an action carried from the subject to the object; requiring a direct object to complete meaning. Used of a verb or verb construction.

2. Characterized by or involving transition.

3. Logic & Mathematics Of or relating to a binary relation such that, whenever one element is related to a second element and the second element is related to a third element, then the first element is also related to the third element. Examples of transitive relations are "less than" for real numbers (a < b and b < c implies a < c) and divisibility for integers (a divides b and b divides c mean that a divides c).

n. Grammar

A transitive verb.

[Late Latin trānsitīvus, passing over (translation of Greek diabibastikos), from trānsitus, past participle of trānsīre, to go over; see transient.]

tran′si·tive·ly adv.

tran′si·tive·ness, tran′si·tiv′i·ty n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

transitive

(ˈtrænsɪtɪv)

adj

1. (Grammar) grammar

a. denoting an occurrence of a verb when it requires a direct object or denoting a verb that customarily requires a direct object: 'to find' is a transitive verb.

b. (as noun): these verbs are transitives.

2. (Grammar) grammar denoting an adjective, such as fond, or a noun, such as husband, that requires a noun phrase and cannot be used without some implicit or explicit reference to such a noun phrase

3. (Logic) logic maths having the property that if one object bears a relationship to a second object that also bears the same relationship to a third object, then the first object bears this relationship to the third object: mathematical equality is transitive, since if x = y and y = z then x = z.

[C16: from Late Latin transitīvus from Latin transitus a going over; see transient]

ˈtransitively adv

ˌtransiˈtivity, ˈtransitiveness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tran•si•tive

(ˈtræn sɪ tɪv, -zɪ-)

adj.

1. of or designating a verb that is accompanied by a direct object and from which a passive can be formed, as deny, put, or elect.

2. characterized by or involving transition; transitional.

3. a transitive verb.

[1550–60; < Late Latin trānsitīvus= Latin trānsit(us), past participle of trānsīre to cross (see transit) + -īvus -ive]

tran′si•tive•ly, adv.

tran′si•tive•ness, tran`si•tiv′i•ty, n.

transitive

Used to describe a verb that has a direct object. Compare intransitive.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	transitive - a verb (or verb construction) that requires an object in order to be grammatical transitive verb, transitive verb form verb - the word class that serves as the predicate of a sentence doubly transitive verb, doubly transitive verb form - a transitive verb that takes both a direct and an indirect object
Adj.	1.	transitive - designating a verb that requires a direct object to complete the meaning grammar - the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics) intransitive - designating a verb that does not require or cannot take a direct object

Translations

مُتَعَدٍّ

přechodnýtranzitivní

transitiv

transitiv

μεταβατικός

transitif transitive

prijelazantranzitivan

tárgyas

áhrifs-

transitivo transitiva

galininkinistranzityvinis

transitīvs, pārejošs

overdrachtelijk overgankelijk transitief

transitiv

przechodni

transitivo

transitiv

переходный

geçişlinesne alan

及物的

transitive

[ˈtrænzɪtɪv] ADJ → transitivo
transitive verb → verbo m transitivo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

transitive

[ˈtrænzɪtɪv] adj [verb] → transitif/ive

transitive

adj → transitiv; transitive verb → transitives Verb, Handlungsverb nt, → Transitiv(um) nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

transitive

[ˈtrænzɪtɪv] adj (Gram) → transitivo/a

transitive

(ˈtrӕnsitiv) adjective

(of a verb) having an object. He hit the ball; Open the door!