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Transitive Verbs List: 125 Examples

Published on September 17, 2020 | Updated on March 25, 2024

transitive verb is one that is used with an object: a noun, phrase, or pronoun that refers to the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb

For example:

  1. My friend read the newspaper.
  2. The teenager earned a speeding ticket.

A way to identify a transitive verb is to invert the sentence, making it passive.

For example:

  1. The newspaper was read by my friend.
  2. A speeding ticket was earned by the teenager.”


Transitive Verbs Video

This is a good explanation about what transitive verbs are


Transitive Verbs List: A to F

These are some transitive verbs which start with letters from the O to the W

 accept dazzle
 acknowledge deceive
 admit define
 aggravate describe
 answer destroy
 ask discover
 avoid distinguish
 beat drag
 bend dress
 bless dunk
 bother edify
 break embarrass
 brush embrace
 build enable
 cancel encourage
 capture entertain
 carry execute
 catch enlist
 change fascinate
 chase finish
 chastise follow
 clean flick
 collect forget
 comfort freeze
 contradict frighten
 convert forgive
 crack furnish

Transitive Verbs List: G to N

These are some transitive verbs which start with letters from the G to the N

 gather keep
 grab key
 grasp kill
 grip kiss
 grease knock
 handle lag
 hang lay
 head lead
 highlight lean
 honour leave
 hurry lighten
 hurt limit
 help link
 imitate load
 impress love
 indulge lower
 insert maintain
 interest marry
 inspect massage
 interrupt melt
 intimidate mock
 involve munch
 irritate murder
 join notice
 judge number

Transitive Verbs List: O to W

These are some transitive verbs which start with letters from the O to the W

 offend strike
 order surprise
 page swallow
 paralyze switch
 persuade teach
 petrify taste
 pierce tickle
 place tighten
 please toast
 poison transform
 possess tweak
 prepare twist
 promise turn
 protect toss
 purchase try
 punch understimate
 puzzle understand
 question unlock
 quit unload
 raise use
 reassure untie
 recognise upgrade
 refill vacate
 remind vilify
 remove viplate
 repel videotape
 research wake
 retard want
 ring warm
 run wash
 satisfy warn
 scold watch
 select widen
 slap wear
 smell win
 soften wipe
 specify wrack
 spell wrap
 spit wreck
 spread weep

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Many verbs can be transitive or intransitive.

For example:

Sing

  • Motivated by the others, she sang.
  • She sang the national anthem

Leave

  • After he ate, he left.
  • He left the gift on the table.

Manuel Campos

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English