Verbs That Start With D – Complete Word List & Meanings

Verbs that start with the letter D bring energy, variety, and clarity to our language. From simple everyday actions like do, drive, and dance to more powerful and impactful words such as develop, direct, and discover, these verbs help us express ideas with precision and creativity. Whether you’re expanding your vocabulary for writing, speaking, or even a fun game of Scrabble, exploring D-verbs can add depth and dynamism to your communication. 

List of Verbs That Start With D 

Verbs beginning with the letter D cover a wide range of actions, from everyday movements to abstract ideas. Common examples include dance, decide, deliver, define, describe, develop, direct, and discover. These words not only enrich everyday conversations but also add variety and precision to writing. Whether you’re looking for simple action verbs like do and drive or more advanced terms such as deduce and dominate, D-verbs provide powerful options to express thoughts clearly and effectively.

Common Verbs Starting With D

• Dance – to move rhythmically to music.  
  Example: She loves to dance at weddings. 
• Decide – to make a choice between options.  
  Example: He couldn’t decide which movie to watch. 
• Deliver – to bring or hand over something.  
  Example: The courier will deliver the package today. 
• Describe – to explain something in detail.  
  Example: Can you describe the suspect to the police? 
• Depend – to rely on someone or something.  
  Example: Children depend on their parents for guidance. 
• Do – to perform an action.  
  Example: I will do my homework after dinner. 
• Drive – to operate a vehicle.  
  Example: She learned to drive at the age of 18. 
• Drop – to let something fall.  
  Example: Don’t drop the glass; it might break. 
• Draw – to produce a picture with lines.  
  Example: The child loves to draw animals. 
• Drink – to consume liquid.  
  Example: We usually drink water after exercise. 
• Develop – to grow or improve.  
  Example: He wants to develop new skills at work. 
• Direct – to guide or lead.  
  Example: The teacher will direct the students to their classrooms. 
• Demand – to ask forcefully for something.  
  Example: The workers demand fair wages. 
• Discuss – to talk about something with others.  
  Example: We will discuss the project tomorrow. 
• Dress – to put clothes on oneself or another.  
  Example: She takes time to dress for special occasions.

Positive Verbs Starting With D

Verb	Meaning	Example
Dedicate	to commit to a task or purpose	She dedicated her life to helping others.
Delight	to give great pleasure or joy	The surprise party will delight her.
Donate	to give something for a good cause	They donate clothes to the local shelter.
Discover	to find something new	Scientists discover new medicines every year.
Design	to plan and create something	She will design a beautiful dress.
Devote	to give time or energy to something	He devotes his weekends to community service.
Defend	to protect against harm	The lawyer will defend her client in court.
Display	to show something clearly	The shop will display new products in the window.
Demonstrate	to show how something works	The chef will demonstrate how to bake bread.
Determine	to firmly decide on something	She was determined to finish her degree.
Distinguish	to recognize differences	It’s hard to distinguish between the twins.
Diversify	to add variety	The company plans to diversify its products.
Decorate	to make something more attractive	They decorate the house for Christmas.
Dazzle	to impress greatly	The singer’s performance will dazzle the audience.
Dominate	to have control or influence	Their team continues to dominate the league.

Action Verbs Starting With D

• Dash – to run quickly.  
  Example: He dashed across the street to catch the bus. 
• Dig – to break up or move earth.  
  Example: They dig holes to plant trees. 
• Dive – to jump into water headfirst.  
  Example: She dove into the swimming pool. 
• Drag – to pull something along the ground.  
  Example: He dragged the heavy suitcase behind him. 
• Dodge – to move quickly to avoid something.  
  Example: She dodged the ball during the game. 
• Dispatch – to send off quickly.  
  Example: The office will dispatch the documents today. 
• Detach – to separate something from a whole.  
  Example: Please detach the coupon before checkout. 
• Drill – to make a hole using a tool.  
  Example: He drilled a hole in the wall. 
• Disarm – to take weapons away.  
  Example: The police disarmed the criminal. 
• Detour – to take a longer or different route.  
  Example: We detoured through the countryside to avoid traffic. 
• Disperse – to scatter or spread.  
  Example: The police asked the crowd to disperse. 
• Drift – to move slowly without direction.  
  Example: The boat drifted across the lake. 
• Deploy – to move resources into position.  
  Example: The army deployed troops to the border. 
• Discard – to throw away something useless.  
  Example: She discarded the old newspapers. 
• Disrupt – to interrupt or cause disturbance.  
  Example: The loud noise disrupted the class.

Rare and Unique Verbs Starting With D

Verb	Meaning	Example
Dapple	to mark with spots or patches	Sunlight dappled the forest floor.
Decant	to pour liquid gently into another container	She decanted the wine into a glass.
Decry	to criticize openly	The council decried the act of vandalism.
Deign	to do something reluctantly or below one’s status	He didn’t deign to answer the question.
Deride	to mock or ridicule	The critics derided his new book.
Disentangle	to free from a knot or mess	She disentangled her hair from the brush.
Dismantle	to take apart	They dismantled the old machine.
Disseminate	to spread widely	The organization disseminates health information.
Dwindle	to gradually become smaller	The town’s population dwindled over time.
Divulge	to reveal secret information	He refused to divulge the password.
Dislodge	to remove from a position	The storm dislodged the roof tiles.
Defenestrate	to throw out of a window	The rebels threatened to defenestrate the ruler.
Debunk	to expose as false	The scientist debunked the myth.
Delineate	to describe or portray precisely	The map clearly delineates the border.
Denounce	to publicly declare something wrong	The leader denounced corruption in the government.

Regular Verbs That Start With D

• Dance – to move rhythmically to music.  
  Example: They danced all night at the party. 
• Deliver – to bring or hand over.  
  Example: The courier delivered the parcel on time. 
• Discover – to find out something new.  
  Example: She discovered a shortcut to the park. 
• Decorate – to make something attractive.  
  Example: They decorated the hall with balloons. 
• Demand – to ask forcefully.  
  Example: Workers demanded better pay. 
• Describe – to explain in words.  
  Example: He described the scenery in detail. 
• Develop – to improve or grow.  
  Example: The company developed new software. 
• Display – to show clearly.  
  Example: The museum displayed ancient coins. 
• Divide – to separate into parts.  
  Example: The teacher divided the class into groups. 
• Depend – to rely on.  
  Example: Success depends on hard work. 
• Design – to plan and create.  
  Example: She designed her own website. 
• Discuss – to talk about.  
  Example: They discussed their holiday plans. 
• Decorate – to beautify.  
  Example: The kids decorated the Christmas tree. 
• Decide – to choose between options.  
  Example: He decided to take the job offer. 
• Donate – to give freely.  
  Example: She donated money to charity.

Irregular Verbs Starting With D

Verb	Meaning	Example
Do	perform an action	She did her homework on time.
Draw	to produce a picture	He drew a sketch of the mountain.
Drive	to operate a vehicle	She drove to work this morning.
Drink	to consume liquid	They drank lemonade at the picnic.
Dig	to break up earth	Farmers dug trenches for irrigation.
Dwell	to live or stay in a place	He dwelt in the countryside.
Deal	to handle or distribute	The shopkeeper dealt fairly with customers.
Dive	to jump into water	She dove into the pool gracefully.
Dream	to experience thoughts while asleep	He dreamt about flying.
Dare	to have courage to do something	She dared to speak the truth.
Dress	to clothe oneself	He dressed quickly for the meeting.
Depart	to leave a place	The train departed at 8 a.m.
Deal	to manage or cope	He dealt with the situation calmly.
Drown	to die by suffocation in water	The child nearly drowned in the river.
Drive	operate a vehicle	He drove across the country last summer.

Phrasal Verbs Starting With D

• Deal with – to handle a problem.  
  Example: She had to deal with many challenges. 
• Drop off – to deliver or leave something/someone.  
  Example: He dropped off the kids at school. 
• Dress up – to wear fancy clothes.  
  Example: They dressed up for the wedding. 
• Die down – to become weaker or quieter.  
  Example: The storm died down by evening. 
• Do without – to manage without something.  
  Example: We had to do without electricity last night. 
• Draw up – to prepare a document.  
  Example: The lawyer drew up the contract. 
• Drop by – to visit casually.  
  Example: She dropped by her friend’s house. 
• Do over – to redo something.  
  Example: He did the assignment over to improve it. 
• Drag on – to last too long.  
  Example: The meeting dragged on for hours. 
• Drop out – to quit or leave.  
  Example: He dropped out of college. 
• Do away with – to abolish or remove.  
  Example: The law was done away with years ago. 
• Draw out – to prolong something.  
  Example: He drew out the speech unnecessarily. 
• Drift apart – to gradually separate.  
  Example: The two friends drifted apart over time. 
• Dash off – to leave quickly.  
  Example: He dashed off to catch the train. 
• Double down – to increase effort or commitment.  
  Example: They doubled down on their marketing strategy.

Popular & Impactful Verbs That Start With D

Verb	Meaning	Example
Dominate	to control strongly	Their team dominated the game.
Discover	to find something new	Scientists discovered a new planet.
Deliver	to provide or hand over	The speaker delivered an inspiring message.
Determine	to decide firmly	She is determined to succeed at all costs.
Demonstrate	to show clearly	The teacher demonstrated the experiment.
Defend	to protect against attack	The army defended the borders.
Develop	to grow or advance	The city developed rapidly over the years.
Drive	to push or motivate	Ambition drives him to work hard.
Define	to explain meaning	The dictionary defines words precisely.
Design	to plan or create	She designed an elegant building.
Delegate	to assign tasks to others	The manager delegated responsibilities to the team.
Debate	to argue formally	The students debated environmental issues.
Distinguish	to recognize differences	She distinguished herself as a talented leader.
Disrupt	to interrupt normal activity	Technology disrupted traditional markets.
Diversify	to add variety or expand	The company diversified into new industries.

Fun Facts About Words Beginning With D

• The Word “Do” is One of the Oldest Verbs in English – The verb do has roots in Old English (don) and is still one of the most frequently used verbs today, making it both ancient and timeless. 
• “D” Words Often Symbolize Action and Drive – Many powerful action verbs start with D—like dash, dive, develop, and dominate—giving the letter a strong association with energy and movement. 
• Double D Words Sound Catchy – Words like ding-dong, doodle, dandy, and dilly-dally show how repeating the letter D often creates playful, memorable expressions in English. 
• Some D Verbs Come from Latin Roots – Words such as define (from Latin definire, “to set limits”) and describe (from Latin describere, “to write down”) reveal how much influence Latin has had on English D-verbs. 
• “D” is a Versatile Letter Across Languages – In many languages, D-verbs have similar meanings—like decidir in Spanish (decide) and défendre in French (defend)—showing that D-verbs often carry universal ideas of decision-making, direction, and defense.

Read: Verbs That Start With A

Read: Verbs That Start With B

Read: Verbs That Start With C

Conclusion

Verbs that start with the letter D bring depth, direction, and dynamism to the English language. From everyday essentials like do, drink, and drive to more advanced words such as diversify, demonstrate, and dominate, D-verbs enrich communication by adding variety and precision. Whether you’re building your vocabulary, improving your writing, or preparing for word games, mastering these verbs will make your language more engaging, impactful, and expressive.