Verbs That Start With A – Complete List With Meanings & Examples

From adding precision to sparking imagination, verbs that start with A hold a unique power in the English language. They can drive action, convey emotion, and transform ordinary writing into something vivid and engaging. Whether you’re a student expanding your vocabulary, a writer aiming for more expressive storytelling, or simply a language enthusiast, exploring “A” verbs is an excellent way to enrich your communication. 

What Is a Verb? 

A verb is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. It’s one of the most important parts of speech because it tells us what the subject of a sentence is doing or experiencing. Verbs can show physical actions like run or build, mental actions like think or imagine, and states of being like to exist or belong.

List of Verbs That Start With A 

Verbs beginning with the letter “A” are diverse and dynamic, ranging from action-packed words like accelerate and attack to more thoughtful ones such as admire and appreciate. Here’s a collection of useful “A” verbs to expand your vocabulary and add variety to your writing and speech.

Common Verbs Starting With A 

• Accept – To agree to take or receive something.
  Example: She gladly accepted the job offer.
• Achieve – To successfully reach a goal through effort.
  Example: He achieved his dream of becoming a pilot.
• Add – To combine something with something else.
  Example: Please add more sugar to the tea. 
• Admit – To confess or acknowledge something.
  Example: She admitted her mistake during the meeting. 
• Agree – To share the same opinion as someone.
  Example: We all agreed to start the project next week. 
• Allow – To permit or give permission.
  Example: The teacher allowed the students to leave early. 
• Answer – To respond to a question or situation.
  Example: Can you answer the phone, please? 
• Apply – To make a formal request or put into practice.
  Example: He applied for a scholarship at the university. 
• Ask – To request information or an answer.
  Example: May I ask you a question? 
• Arrange – To organize or put things in order.
  Example: They arranged the chairs for the meeting. 
• Arrive – To reach a place.
  Example: We arrived at the hotel before sunset. 
• Assist – To help or support.
  Example: The guide assisted us during the trip. 
• Attach – To join or fasten something.
  Example: Please attach the file to your email. 
• Avoid – To stay away from something.
  Example: He avoided eating junk food for health reasons. 
• Awake – To stop sleeping; to wake up.
  Example: I awoke early to watch the sunrise.

Positive Verbs Starting With A 

Verb	Meaning	Example
Admire	To regard with respect and approval	I truly admire her dedication to her work.
Adore	To love deeply and respect highly	She adores her little puppy.
Appreciate	To value or be thankful for something	I appreciate your help in this matter.
Aspire	To aim or hope to achieve something	He aspires to be a great leader.
Assist	To help someone accomplish something	Volunteers assisted the victims after the storm.
Acknowledge	To recognize or express gratitude for something	She acknowledged his effort in front of everyone.
Amuse	To entertain or make someone laugh	The clown amused the children with his tricks.
Affirm	To state something positively or with confidence	He affirmed his belief in the team’s success.
Advocate	To support or recommend publicly	She advocates for equal rights for all.
Animate	To bring to life or energize	The teacher’s energy animated the whole class.
Applaud	To show approval by clapping hands	The audience applauded the performance.
Appoint	To assign someone to a position or duty	The committee appointed her as the new manager.
Assure	To make someone feel confident or certain	I assure you, everything will be fine.
Award	To give a prize or recognition	She was awarded for her outstanding service.
Accomplish	To successfully complete something	They accomplished the project ahead of time.

Action Verbs Starting With A 

• Accelerate – To move faster.
  Example: The driver accelerated to overtake the truck. 
• Act – To perform an action or behave in a certain way.
  Example: He acted quickly to save the child. 
• Advance – To move forward or make progress.
  Example: The troops advanced toward the enemy camp. 
• Attack – To take aggressive action against.
  Example: The lion attacked its prey. 
• Assemble – To gather people or things together.
  Example: Workers assembled in the hall for the meeting. 
• Aim – To point or direct at a target.
  Example: He aimed the ball at the goalpost. 
• Adjust – To modify or change something slightly.
  Example: She adjusted the chair to be more comfortable. 
• Align – To arrange in a straight line or proper position.
  Example: Please align the text to the center. 
• Announce – To make something known publicly.
  Example: They announced the winners of the contest. 
• Ascent – To climb or rise upwards.
  Example: The climbers began their ascent of the mountain. 
• Assemble – To put together parts to form something.
  Example: He assembled the new furniture by himself. 
• Arrest – To take someone into legal custody.
  Example: The police arrested the thief. 
• Awaken – To cause to become alert or active.
  Example: The speech awakened their sense of responsibility. 
• Amplify – To increase the strength or intensity.
  Example: The microphone amplified his voice. 
• Approach – To move closer to something or someone.
  Example: The train approached the station slowly.

Rare and Unique Verbs Starting With A

Verb	Meaning	Example
Abrogate	To repeal or do away with a law or agreement	The government decided to abrogate the outdated treaty.
Adumbrate	To foreshadow or give a vague outline of	The novel adumbrates the political unrest to come.
Afforest	To create a forest in a barren area	The land was afforested to prevent soil erosion.
Aggrandize	To increase the power, status, or wealth of	The king aggrandized his empire through conquest.
Allay	To reduce or relieve fears or doubts	The doctor’s words allayed her anxiety.
Anastomose	To connect or join together (often in medical terms)	Surgeons anastomosed the blood vessels successfully.
Appertain	To relate or belong to something	These rules are appertain to all members of the club.
Arrogate	To claim or take something without justification	He arrogated the authority to make decisions alone.
Assuage	To make an unpleasant feeling less intense	She assuaged his grief with kind words.
Attenuate	To reduce in force, effect, or value	The vaccine attenuated the severity of the illness.
Abnegate	To deny or renounce something	He chose to abnegate his personal comforts for charity.
Anodize	To coat a metal with a protective oxide layer	The company anodized the aluminum frames for durability.
Apostrophize	To address an absent or imaginary person in speech or writing	The poet apostrophized the moon in his verses.
Asperse	To spread false or damaging statements about someone	His opponents aspersed his character during the campaign.
Augur	To predict or foreshadow a future event	The dark clouds augured a heavy storm.

Regular Verbs That Start With A 

• Accept –  To agree to take or receive
  Example: She accepted the invitation gladly. 
• Achieve – To accomplish successfully
  Example: He achieved his target for the month. 
• Add – To put together or increase
  Example: Please add some salt to the soup. 
• Admire – To regard with respect
  Example: I admire her dedication to her work. 
• Admit – To confess or acknowledge
  Example: She admitted making a mistake. 
• Allow – To permit or give consent
  Example: The teacher allowed them to leave early. 
• Announce – To make known publicly
  Example: They announced the wedding date yesterday. 
• Answer – To reply to a question
  Example: Please answer the doorbell. 
• Applaud – To clap hands in approval
  Example: The audience applauded loudly after the show. 
• Arrange – To put in order
  Example: He arranged the files neatly on the desk. 
• Assist – To help or support
  Example: She assisted the elderly man in crossing the road. 
• Attack – To take aggressive action
  Example: The army attacked at dawn. 
• Avoid – To keep away from
  Example: He avoids eating too much sugar. 
• Attach – To fasten or join
  Example: Attach your resume to the email. 
• Attempt – To make an effort to do something
  Example: They attempted to climb the mountain.

Irregular Verbs Starting With A

Verb	Meaning	Example
Arise	To come into being or appear	Problems can arise unexpectedly.
Awake	To stop sleeping	I awoke early today.
Abide	To tolerate or endure	She cannot abide dishonesty.
Alight	To descend from a vehicle	The passengers alighted from the bus.
Abide	To follow or obey	You must abide by the rules.
Arose	Past of arise	A misunderstanding arose from the comment.
Abide (dual forms)	To remain	He abided in the village for years.
Arise (repeated for different sense)	To happen	An opportunity arose to travel abroad.
Awake (dual meaning)	To become aware	She awoke to the sound of birds.
Abide (legal sense)	To wait patiently	He abodes his time in silence.
Arise (figurative)	To occur	Difficulties arose during the project.
Alight (figurative)	To settle or land	A bird alit on the branch.
Abide (colloquial)	To put up with	She abided the noisy room.
Awake (figurative)	To wake someone	He awoke his friend with a joke.
Arise (poetic)	To begin	A new hope arose among them.

Phrasal Verbs Starting With A 

• Act on – To take action based on advice or information 
  Example: She acted on the lawyer’s advice. 
• Act out – To perform or express emotions 
  Example: The children acted out the story. 
• Act up – To behave badly or not work properly 
  Example: My knee is acting up again. 
• Add on – To include an extra part 
  Example: They added on a new section to the house. 
• Add up – To make sense or total a sum 
  Example: His story doesn’t add up. 
• Add up to – To result in a total 
  Example: The costs add up to $500. 
• Aim at – To target or direct at 
  Example: The ad campaign is aimed at teenagers. 
• Allow for – To take into consideration 
  Example: You must allow for delays. 
• Answer back – To reply rudely 
  Example: Don’t answer back to your parents. 
• Answer for – To take responsibility for 
  Example: You’ll have to answer for your actions. 
• Appeal to – To attract or request 
  Example: This style appeals to young people. 
• Apply for – To make a formal request 
  Example: She applied for a new job. 
• Ask after – To inquire about someone’s health 
  Example: He asked after you yesterday. 
• Ask for – To request something 
  Example: You’re asking for trouble with that decision. 
• Ask out – To invite someone on a date 
  Example: He asked her out for dinner.

Popular & Impactful Verbs That Start With A 

Verb	Meaning	Example
Accelerate	To increase speed or progress	The car accelerated quickly on the highway.
Achieve	To accomplish successfully	She achieved all her goals this year.
Adapt	To adjust to new conditions	He adapted well to the new environment.
Advance	To move forward or make progress	The team advanced to the finals.
Advocate	To support or recommend publicly	She advocates for environmental protection.
Affirm	To declare something to be true	He affirmed his commitment to the project.
Align	To bring into agreement	The strategies align with our goals.
Allocate	To distribute resources for a purpose	Funds were allocated for education.
Alter	To change or modify	They altered the design for better results.
Amplify	To increase the strength or impact	The speaker amplified his voice.
Analyze	To examine in detail	Scientists analyzed the data carefully.
Anticipate	To expect or look forward to	We anticipate a good harvest this year.
Appoint	To assign someone to a role	She was appointed as the new director.
Appreciate	To recognize the value of something	I appreciate your honesty.
Aspire	To aim for or have a strong desire to achieve	He aspires to become a successful entrepreneur.

Fun Facts About Words Beginning With A 

• First in the Alphabet – “A” is the very first letter of the English alphabet, making verbs that start with it easy to spot and remember. 
• Ancient Origins – The letter “A” comes from the Phoenician letter aleph, which originally represented an ox head. 
• High Frequency – “A” is one of the most commonly used vowels in the English language, appearing in thousands of words, including many verbs. 
• Powerful Sound – Words starting with “A” often have a strong, attention-grabbing quality, which is why authors and advertisers love them. 
• Dual Nature – Many “A” verbs can express both physical action (accelerate, ascend) and abstract ideas (appreciate, aspire). 
• Positive Vibes – A large number of uplifting and motivational verbs start with “A,” such as admire, affirm, and achieve. 
• Prefixes Galore – Many “A” verbs begin with the prefixes “ab-,” “ad-,” or “anti-,” which can change meanings dramatically (e.g., abandon, adapt, antagonize). 
• Cross-Language Friends – Some “A” verbs have similar forms and meanings in other languages, especially Latin-based ones (e.g., admire, appreciate).

Read: Verbs That Start With B

Conclusion

Verbs that start with the letter “A” are versatile, powerful, and full of expression. From everyday words like accept and ask to rare gems like adumbrate and afforest, these verbs can transform your writing and speech, adding clarity, energy, and style. Whether you’re a student building vocabulary, a writer looking for impactful language, or simply a word enthusiast, exploring “A” verbs is an easy way to make your communication more dynamic and precise. Keep this list handy, practice using these verbs in sentences, and watch your language skills accelerate to the next level.