20 NOUNS that you didn’t know have a VERB form

This is a collection of words we commonly know and use as nouns in English. Many people don’t know that these nouns also have a verb form! You can learn them in this post.

What is a noun?
In grammar, a noun is a person, place, or thing.

What is a verb?
In grammar, a verb is a word that expresses an action or existence. 

Some of the verb meanings are clearly connected to the noun form…

  • ball
  • bag

and some are not. 

  • drone
  • log

Take a look at this list and learn some new English words. Can you think of any other nouns with a verb form that I forgot to add to this list? Let me know in the comments

Surprising Nouns With A Verb Form

ball Verb to form something or be formed into the shape of a ball

  • My hand balled into a fist.
  • She balled up the piece of paper and threw it into the bin.
Ryan tore off the paper and balled it up if he didn't like the idea.

Ryan tore off the paper and balled it up if he didn’t like the idea.

bag Verb 1) to put something into bags

  • When I worked at the supermarket I would sometimes bag groceries for customers. 
We would always bag the groceries for the elderly customers.

We would always bag the groceries for the elderly customers.

2) catch/get/kill an animal

  • The hunters bagged two deers on their hunting trip 

dawn Verb 1) (of a day or a period of time) to begin

  • A new technological age had dawned.

2) to become obvious or easy to understand

  • After carefully thinking about what happened the truth dawned on me. 
  • It was just beginning to dawn on her that she had made a huge mistake.

document Verb to record something in the form of a written document, photograph, film, etc.

  • I used my smartphone to document my journey around the historic town. 
  • I need to document my expenses for tax purposes.
  • The company policy required that employees document any accidents or injuries that occurred on the job.
I used my smartphone to document my trip to Italy.

I used my smartphone to document my trip to Italy.

Verb and Noun Pairs 200 examples (Pronunciation Guide+PDF) https://worldenglishblog.com/verb-and-noun-pairs/

drone Verb to make a continuous low noise

  • I live near the airport so I can often hear planes droning in the distance.
  • The bees were droning around the hive.

The phrasal verb DRONE ON means ​to talk for a long time in a boring way

eye Verb to look at somebody/something carefully, especially because you want something or you suspect that something is wrong

  • The children were eying the cakes greedily.
  • She carefully eyed the painting, admiring its intricate details.

flag Verb to draw attention to information that you think is important, especially by putting a special mark next to it

  • I read through the textbook and flagged all the important parts. 
  • The referee flagged the play as offside.

The phrasal verb FLAG DOWN means to signal to the driver of a vehicle to stop by waving at them

  • He flagged down a taxi to get home from the airport.
It's hard to flag down a cab at 5:30. Everyone is leaving work.

It’s hard to flag down a cab at 5:30. Everyone is leaving work.

gun Verb (of an engine) to run very quickly

  • We heard that loud roar outside of a car gunning its engine. 

The phrasal verb GUN DOWN means to shoot somebody, especially killing or seriously injuring them

  • The soldier gunned down the enemy troops with precise aim.

ice Verb to cover a cake with icing or apply ice to an injury

  • I spent all morning icing my daughter’s birthday cake.
  • The doctor told me to ice my ankle for 30 minutes and keep it elevated. 

jaw Verb to talk, especially to talk a lot or for a long time

  • Vanessa was jawing forever. I didn’t think she would ever stop talking. 

key Verb to deliberately damage a car by scratching it with a key

  • When I got to the parking lot I noticed that someone had keyed my car. I was so angry.

log Verb to put information in an official record or write a record of an event

  • The police log all calls that come into 911. 
All phone calls are logged and kept in the system.

All phone calls are logged and kept in the system.

Phrasal verbs with LOG

Log in vs. Login: Which to Use? (Your Best Guide)
https://worldenglishblog.com/log-in-vs-login/
During my lunch break, I like to log in to Facebook and see what's happening.

During my lunch break, I like to log in to Facebook and see what’s happening.

Prepositions TO, INTO, or IN TO? (Intermediate English)

man Verb to work at a place or be in charge of a place or a machine

  • The telephones are manned 24 hours a day by volunteers.

Phrasal Verb

number Verb to give a number to something as part of a series or list

  • All the seats in the stadium are numbered.

palm Verb to hide a coin, card, etc. in your hand, especially when performing a trick

  • The magician carefully palmed the card rather than putting it back in the deck. 

plate Verb to serve food on a plate

  • Expensive restaurants plate the food very carefully before it comes to your table. 

tail Verb to follow somebody closely, especially in order to watch where they go and what they do

  • Please have been tailing the suspect for three days. 

thumb Verb to make a signal with your thumb to passing drivers to ask them to stop and take you somewhere

  • Ivan thumbed his way across Europe when he was in his twenties. 

tool Verb to drive around in a vehicle

  • My friends and I spent the afternoon just tooling around in my Dad’s car. 

wick The noun form of wick is the string in the center of a candle surrounded by wax that burns for a long time

Verb (of a material) to take small drops of liquid from an area and move them away

  • The shirt is made of special material. It wicks sweat away from your body.

Bonus – 3 Verbs You Didn’t Know Had A Noun Form

die Noun The singular form of plural noun dice

  • It’s your turn, roll the die and move your piece on the board. 

push Noun an act of pushing something/somebody

  • My car won’t start, can you give me a push? I want to put it in the garage

try Noun 1) an act of trying to do something 

  • The chances are slim but it’s still worth a try

try Noun 2) an act of scoring points by touching the ground behind your opponents’ goal line with the ball in Rugby

  • The captain scored a try in the final minute to tie the game.

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