Verbs That Start With L – List of Common, Positive, and Rare L Verbs

The letter L carries a special kind of energy in the English language, it leads us to words that lift, love, laugh, and learn. Verbs beginning with L are especially powerful because they don’t just express actions; they also connect ideas, inspire positivity, and bring life to our conversations and writing. Whether you’re a student expanding your vocabulary, a teacher guiding young learners, or simply someone who loves exploring words, verbs that start with L offer a vibrant collection of expressions filled with movement and meaning.

List of Verbs That Start With L

The letter L introduces us to a lively group of verbs that bring energy, warmth, and clarity to our sentences. From simple actions like look and listen to more powerful ones like lead, lift, and liberate, these verbs help us express movement, growth, and positive impact. Whether you’re writing stories, giving instructions, or teaching young learners, L-verbs can add variety and strength to your language. Below, you’ll find a collection of verbs starting with L that can brighten your vocabulary and make your communication more engaging.

Common Verbs Starting With L

• Look – to direct your eyes toward something.
  Example: She looked out the window to see the rain. 
• Listen – to pay attention to sound.
  Example: Please listen carefully to the instructions. 
• Learn – to gain knowledge or skill.
  Example: He learned how to swim last summer. 
• Laugh – to make sounds of joy or amusement.
  Example: The children laughed at the funny story. 
• Love – to feel deep affection for someone or something.
  Example: I love spending time with my family. 
• Live – to be alive or exist.
  Example: They live in a beautiful village. 
• Leave – to go away from a place.
  Example: She had to leave early for work. 
• Like – to enjoy or be pleased with something.
  Example: I like chocolate ice cream. 
• Lose – to misplace something or fail to win.
  Example: Don’t lose your keys again. 
• Lead – to guide or show the way.
  Example: She will lead the team to success. 
• Lay – to put something down carefully.
  Example: He laid the book on the table. 
• Lie – to be in a resting position.
  Example: The baby lay quietly in the crib. 
• Lend – to give something to someone for a time.
  Example: Can you lend me a pen? 
• Lift – to raise something higher.
  Example: He lifted the box onto the shelf. 
• Look after – to take care of someone or something.
  Example: She looks after her younger brother.

Positive Verbs Starting With L

Verb	Meaning	Example
Love	to show deep affection	They love helping others in need.
Laugh	to express joy or amusement	We laughed until our stomachs hurt.
Lead	to guide in a positive direction	A good teacher leads by example.
Lighten	to make less heavy or less serious	His jokes helped lighten the mood.
Lift	to raise in spirit or position	Music can lift your spirits instantly.
Learn	to grow in knowledge or ability	She learned kindness from her parents.
Liberate	to set free	Education helps liberate the mind.
Listen	to give thoughtful attention	Good friends always listen with care.
Like	to have positive feelings about something	I like how you always stay optimistic.
Lend	to share or give support	She lent her friend a helping hand.
Launch	to start something new	They launched a community project for children.
Look forward	to anticipate with excitement	I look forward to meeting you again.
Link	to connect people or ideas	The event linked students from around the world.
Love on	to shower with affection	She loved on her puppy after coming home.
Lift up	to encourage or inspire	Teachers lift up students with kind words.

Action Verbs Starting With L

• Leap – to jump high or far.
  Example: The cat leaped over the fence. 
• Lift – to raise upward.
  Example: He lifted the heavy chair easily. 
• Launch – to set in motion or begin.
  Example: The company launched a new product. 
• Lead – to direct or guide.
  Example: She led the team to victory. 
• Lay – to place something down.
  Example: Please lay the plates on the table. 
• Look – to direct your eyes.
  Example: Look at the stars tonight. 
• Listen – to pay attention with your ears.
  Example: The students listened carefully to the teacher. 
• Lunge – to move forward suddenly.
  Example: The player lunged for the ball. 
• Load – to put items onto or into something.
  Example: He loaded the truck with boxes. 
• Lock – to fasten securely.
  Example: Don’t forget to lock the door. 
• Loop – to form something into a circle.
  Example: She looped the ribbon around the gift. 
• Lower – to move something down.
  Example: The workers lowered the heavy beam carefully. 
• Lift off – to rise into the air (used for rockets, planes).
  Example: The rocket lifted off at sunrise. 
• Look up – to search for information.
  Example: He looked up the word in the dictionary. 
• Leapfrog – to jump over something or someone.
  Example: The kids played leapfrog in the park.

Read: Verbs That Start With I

Regular Verbs That Start With L

Verb	Meaning	Example
Land	to arrive on the ground	The plane landed safely.
Label	to tag or name something	She labeled the boxes clearly.
Laugh	to express amusement	They laughed at the funny cartoon.
Look	to direct your gaze	He looked at the painting with interest.
Listen	to pay attention to sounds	They listened to the music.
Love	to feel affection	She loved her new dress.
Like	to enjoy or approve	He liked the birthday gift.
Lock	to secure with a lock	She locked the door at night.
List	to write or mention items	He listed all the things he needed.
Load	to put things into something	They loaded the truck with supplies.
Link	to connect or join	The teacher linked the lesson to real life.
Lighten	to make something less heavy	The exercise lightened her stress.
Limit	to restrict	The teacher limited screen time for students.
Lift	to raise up	He lifted the weights with ease.
Listened	to give attention (past tense)	She listened carefully to her friend’s advice.

Irregular Verbs Starting With L

• Lie (lay, lain) – to recline or rest.
  Example: She lay on the sofa after a long day. 
• Lay (laid, laid) – to place something down.
  Example: He laid the keys on the counter. 
• Lead (led, led) – to guide or direct.
  Example: She led the group to the museum. 
• Leave (left, left) – to go away from somewhere.
  Example: He left his bag at the station. 
• Lend (lent, lent) – to give something temporarily.
  Example: Can you lend me your notes? 
• Lose (lost, lost) – to misplace or fail to win.
  Example: They lost the game by two points. 
• Light (lit/lighted, lit/lighted) – to set on fire or illuminate.
  Example: She lit a candle during the storm. 
• Leap (leapt/leaped, leapt/leaped) – to jump high or far.
  Example: The frog leapt into the pond. 
• Learn (learned/learnt, learned/learnt) – to gain knowledge.
  Example: She learnt to play the piano quickly. 
• Leave behind (left, left) – to forget or abandon.
  Example: He left his jacket behind at the café. 
• Lie (lied, lied) – to tell something untrue (different meaning from “to recline”).
  Example: He lied about finishing his homework. 
• Lade (laded, laden) – to load heavily.
  Example: The ship was laden with goods. 
• Let (let, let) – to allow.
  Example: She let him borrow her book. 
• Lose out (lost out, lost out) – to miss an opportunity.
  Example: They lost out on the deal due to delays. 
• Light up (lit up, lit up) – to illuminate or brighten.
  Example: The fireworks lit up the night sky.

Read: Verbs That Start With J

Phrasal Verbs Starting With L

Verb	Meaning	Example
Look after	to take care of	She looks after her younger sister.
Look up	to search for information	He looked up the meaning in the dictionary.
Look into	to investigate	The police will look into the matter.
Look forward to	to anticipate with pleasure	I look forward to the holidays.
Look out	to be careful	Look out! There’s a car coming.
Look down on	to regard as inferior	He looks down on people with less money.
Look back on	to remember fondly	She looked back on her childhood with joy.
Look up to	to admire or respect	Children often look up to their teachers.
Log in	to access a system using credentials	She logged in to her account to check emails.
Log out	to exit a computer system	Don’t forget to log out before leaving.
Lock up	to secure by locking	He locked up the store before going home.
Light up	to become bright or cheerful	His face lit up when he saw her.
Live up to	to meet expectations	The movie lived up to the hype.
Look around	to explore casually	We looked around the market for souvenirs.
Look over	to examine quickly	The teacher looked over the assignments.

Rare and Unique Verbs Starting With L

• Lustrate – to purify by ceremony.
  Example: Ancient priests would lustrate with water. 
• Lambaste – to criticize harshly.
  Example: The critic lambasted the new play. 
• Leaven – to cause something to rise or lighten.
  Example: Kindness can leaven a gloomy situation. 
• Liquefy – to make liquid.
  Example: Heat will liquefy the wax. 
• Loll – to sit, lie, or hang in a lazy way.
  Example: The dog lolled on the porch. 
• Languish – to weaken or suffer from neglect.
  Example: The project languished due to lack of funding. 
• Lacerate – to tear deeply.
  Example: The sharp rocks lacerated his feet. 
• Lurk – to wait hidden, often with bad intent.
  Example: A stranger lurked in the shadows. 
• Lampoon – to ridicule with satire.
  Example: The comedian lampooned politicians in his act. 
• Luxuriate – to take great pleasure in comfort.
  Example: She luxuriated in the warm bath. 
• Lapidate – to stone or pelt with stones.
  Example: In history, criminals were lapidated as punishment. 
• Levitate – to rise in the air without support.
  Example: The magician seemed to levitate above the stage. 
• Lollop – to move with an awkward bouncing gait.
  Example: The puppy lolloped across the yard. 
• Lamp – to strike or hit.
  Example: He accidentally lamped his friend while playing. 
• Lamb – to give birth (used for sheep).
  Example: The ewe lambed in the early morning.

Read: Verbs That Start With K

Popular & Impactful Verbs That Start With L

Verb	Meaning	Example
Lead	to guide or direct	She led the campaign to success.
Learn	to acquire knowledge	He learned from his mistakes.
Love	to deeply care or feel affection	They love spending time together.
Laugh	to express joy through sound	Everyone laughed at the joke.
Live	to exist or be alive	They live in a peaceful town.
Listen	to pay attention with the ears	Please listen carefully to instructions.
Look	to direct one’s gaze	She looked at the painting in awe.
Launch	to start or introduce something new	They launched a new product today.
Lift	to raise or elevate	He lifted the child onto his shoulders.
Liberate	to set free	The soldiers liberated the town.
Lighten	to make brighter or less heavy	His words lightened her worries.
Link	to connect or join together	The bridge links the two towns.
Limit	to restrict or control	The teacher limited phone use in class.
Look after	to care for	She looks after her grandparents.
Level	to make flat or equal	They leveled the ground before building

Fun Facts About Words Beginning With L

• L is a “Liquid Letter” in Linguistics – In phonetics, the sound of L is called a liquid consonant, meaning it flows smoothly in speech. This makes L-words like love, laugh, and listen naturally pleasant and melodic to say. 
• L Has One of the Most Positive Word Pools – Unlike some letters that lean toward neutral or negative meanings, many L-words carry positive and uplifting connotations like light, luck, life, lead, and liberty. 
• The Word “Love” Is the Most Used L-Word Globally – Among all words starting with L, love is considered the most recognized and widely used across different cultures, songs, books, and even digital communication.
• L is Linked to Learning in Early Childhood – Research shows children often learn L-words early, since verbs like look, listen, and learn are common in daily instructions, making L essential for vocabulary development. 
• Double L Words Are Surprisingly Common – Words like little, lovely, ladder, lullaby, and lull highlight how double L is a frequent spelling pattern in English. It gives L-words a rhythmic, playful sound, especially in poetry and children’s literature.

Conclusion

The letter L brings a world of energy, warmth, and positivity into the English language. From common verbs like look and listen to impactful ones like lead, liberate, and lighten, L-verbs enrich our speech and writing with life and movement. They can express actions, emotions, and even abstract ideas, making them versatile tools for communication. Whether you’re a student learning vocabulary, a teacher introducing new words to kids, or a writer looking for stronger expression, exploring verbs that start with L will boost your language skills and creativity.