Verbs That Start With O – List, Meanings & Examples in English

The letter O, nestled in the middle of the English alphabet, opens the door to a collection of impactful and inspiring verbs. From everyday actions like obtain and offer to more expressive ones such as overcome and outshine, O-verbs carry a unique sense of originality and optimism. While verbs beginning with O may seem less common compared to other letters, they hold an important place in our vocabulary, enriching writing, speech, and self-expression.

List of Verbs That Start With O

The list of verbs that start with O covers a wide variety of meanings, from simple everyday actions to powerful and inspiring expressions. These verbs can help you describe achievements, emotions, and activities with precision and flair. Whether you’re writing creatively, practicing English, or looking for impactful words to improve your vocabulary, this collection will provide you with versatile and valuable options to use in different contexts.

Common Verbs Starting With O

• Obtain – to get or acquire something.
  Example: She obtained her passport yesterday. 
• Offer – to present or provide something.
  Example: He offered his seat to the elderly woman. 
• Open – to move something so it is not closed.
  Example: Please open the window for fresh air. 
• Observe – to watch carefully.
  Example: The scientist observed the reaction closely. 
• Occupy – to fill or take up space/time.
  Example: The kids occupy the living room every evening. 
• Own – to possess something.
  Example: They own three dogs. 
• Order – to request or command.
  Example: She ordered a coffee at the café. 
• Operate – to control or run something.
  Example: He operates heavy machinery at work. 
• Organize – to arrange or plan systematically.
  Example: She organized the files neatly. 
• Outline – to summarize the main points.
  Example: The teacher outlined the chapter before class. 
• Overcome – to successfully deal with a difficulty.
  Example: He overcame his fear of heights. 
• Opt – to choose or decide.
  Example: They opted for the cheaper plan. 
• Omit – to leave out or exclude.
  Example: Don’t omit any details in the report. 
• Overlook – to miss noticing something.
  Example: She overlooked a small mistake in the essay. 
• Occupy – to engage the attention or time.
  Example: The movie occupied us for two hours.

Positive Verbs Starting With O

Verb	Meaning	Example
Offer	to give or extend help	He offered support during tough times.
Outshine	to perform better or excel	She outshined everyone in the contest.
Overcome	to defeat challenges	They overcame great odds to succeed.
Optimize	to make the best use of	The company optimized its resources.
Organize	to bring order	She organized a charity event.
Orchestrate	to arrange skillfully	He orchestrated a successful campaign.
Own	to embrace or take pride in	She owned her achievements proudly.
Open	to make accessible	The teacher opened new opportunities for learning.
Overjoy	to fill with happiness	The surprise party overjoyed her.
Outdo	to exceed expectations	He outdid himself in the performance.
Offer	to provide kindness or generosity	They offered their help without hesitation.
Overdeliver	to give more than expected	The team overdelivered on the project.
Outpace	to go faster or lead	She outpaced her competitors easily.
Overachieve	to perform beyond expectations	He constantly overachieves in academics.
Outlast	to endure longer than others	The strong foundation outlasted the storm.

Action Verbs Starting With O

• Observe – to watch attentively.
  Example: The guards observed the crowd. 
• Operate – to function or control.
  Example: He operated the camera smoothly. 
• Occupy – to take possession or space.
  Example: Protesters occupied the square. 
• Overtake – to move past or surpass.
  Example: The car overtook the bus quickly. 
• Open – to unlock or make accessible.
  Example: He opened the letter carefully. 
• Outrun – to run faster.
  Example: She outran all her opponents. 
• Offset – to counterbalance.
  Example: The savings offset the extra costs. 
• Outline – to draft or describe.
  Example: He outlined his future plans. 
• Outwork – to work harder than others.
  Example: She outworked everyone in the office. 
• Outmaneuver – to skillfully overcome.
  Example: The player outmaneuvered the defender. 
• Overhaul – to completely repair or improve.
  Example: The mechanic overhauled the old engine. 
• Overrule – to reject or disallow.
  Example: The judge overruled the objection. 
• Outgrow – to become too large for something.
  Example: He outgrew his old shoes. 
• Overload – to burden with too much.
  Example: Don’t overload the washing machine. 
• Offset – to compensate or balance.
  Example: Extra revenue offset the loss.

Regular Verbs That Start With O

• Obtain – obtained / obtaining.
  Example: She obtained the information quickly. 
• Offer – offered / offering.
  Example: He offered his advice. 
• Open – opened / opening.
  Example: The store opened at 9 a.m. 
• Observe – observed / observing.
  Example: They observed the changes carefully. 
• Order – ordered / ordering.
  Example: She ordered a pizza. 
• Organize – organized / organizing.
  Example: He organized his desk neatly. 
• Omit – omitted / omitting.
  Example: They omitted the last step. 
• Opt – opted / opting.
  Example: She opted for a healthier choice. 
• Overwork – overworked / overworking.
  Example: He overworked himself this week. 
• Outlast – outlasted / outlasting.
  Example: The battery outlasted my expectations. 
• Overjoy – overjoyed / overjoying.
  Example: The good news overjoyed the family. 
• Overload – overloaded / overloading.
  Example: The students overloaded the system. 
• Outdo – outdid / outdoing. (Note: irregular in past, but often grouped in lists of common O-verbs)
  Example: She outdid herself in the exam. 
• Overtake – overtook / overtaking. (Irregular past but widely used)
  Example: He overtook the cyclist quickly. 
• Offset – offset / offsetting. (Semi-regular but frequently used)
  Example: Their gains offset the losses.

Irregular Verbs Starting With O

Verb	Meaning	Example
Outdo	to perform better	She outdid herself in the competition.
Overcome	to succeed against difficulties	He overcame his fear of flying.
Overhang	to stick out above something	The cliff overhung the sea.
Overhear	to hear unintentionally	I overheard them talking about the project.
Overrun	to spread or occupy quickly	The garden was overrun with weeds.
Overtake	to pass or go ahead	The car overtook the truck on the highway.
Overthrow	to remove from power	The rebels overthrew the government.
Overdraw	to withdraw more money than available	She overdrew her bank account last month.
Outgrow	to grow too big for something	He outgrew his shoes quickly.
Outshine	to surpass in brilliance	Her performance outshone all others.
Outrun	to run faster than	He outran his opponents easily.
Outbid	to offer more in an auction	They outbid everyone for the painting.
Outspread	to extend widely	The wings outspread gracefully.
Outthink	to think more cleverly	She outthought her competitors in the debate.
Overlie	to lie over something	Fossils overlie the older rock layers.

Phrasal Verbs Starting With O

• Own up – to confess.
  Example: He finally owned up to the mistake. 
• Opt out – to choose not to participate.
  Example: Many students opted out of the trip. 
• Opt in – to agree to join.
  Example: She opted in for the newsletter. 
• Open up – to share feelings.
  Example: He opened up about his struggles. 
• Occur to – to suddenly come to mind.
  Example: It never occurred to me that she might be upset. 
• Order in – to request food delivery.
  Example: We ordered in pizza last night. 
• Own into (rare, colloquial) – to embrace responsibility.
  Example: She owned into her leadership role. 
• Out for – to try to get something.
  Example: He’s out for revenge. 
• Out of – to lack something.
  Example: We’re out of sugar. 
• Open onto – to lead directly into.
  Example: The door opens onto the garden. 
• Opt against – to decide not to choose.
  Example: They opted against buying the house. 
• Open out – to spread wide.
  Example: The path opens out to a beautiful view. 
• Out with – to reveal or share.
  Example: Come on, out with the truth! 
• Own back – to get revenge.
  Example: He planned to own back the prank next week. 
• Open over – to review openly.
  Example: They opened over the final plans together.

Rare and Unique Verbs Starting With O

Verb	Meaning	Example
Obfuscate	to make unclear	The instructions only obfuscated the process.
Obligate	to compel legally or morally	The contract obligates you to pay on time.
Obviate	to prevent by anticipating	His quick action obviated the need for surgery.
Occult	to hide from view	The moon occulted the star during the eclipse.
Oscillate	to swing back and forth	The fan oscillated across the room.
Overawe	to impress or intimidate greatly	The king’s presence overawed the crowd.
Overleap	to jump over	The horse overleaped the fence.
Overarch	to form an arch above	The trees overarched the pathway.
Overmaster	to gain control over	He was overmastered by his emotions.
Overween	to presume arrogantly	She overweened her importance in the project.
Overpoise	to balance excessively	The statue was overpoised on the edge.
Overwinter	to survive through the winter	The birds overwinter in warmer climates.
Overclothe	to dress too warmly	She overclothed the child for summer.
Overtip	to give too much gratuity	He accidentally overtipped the waiter.
Overegg	to exaggerate	The critic overegged the flaws in the film.

Popular & Impactful Verbs That Start With O

• Overcome – to conquer obstacles.
  Example: She overcame her fear of speaking in public. 
• Outshine – to excel beyond others.
  Example: His work outshines his peers. 
• Optimize – to make the best use of.
  Example: The team optimized the strategy for success. 
• Offer – to present something.
  Example: He offered a helping hand. 
• Open – to unlock opportunities.
  Example: The new policy opened doors for students. 
• Orchestrate – to skillfully arrange.
  Example: She orchestrated the entire wedding beautifully. 
• Organize – to put in order.
  Example: He organized the files efficiently. 
• Operate – to function or control.
  Example: The doctor operated successfully on the patient. 
• Overdeliver – to exceed expectations.
  Example: The company overdelivered on its promises. 
• Outperform – to do better than.
  Example: The student outperformed all others in math. 
• Outpace – to go faster than.
  Example: She outpaced her competition. 
• Outlast – to endure longer.
  Example: True friendships outlast challenges. 
• Overachieve – to perform better than expected.
  Example: He overachieves in every subject. 
• Overhaul – to completely improve.
  Example: The system was overhauled to be more efficient. 
• Own – to take responsibility or pride.
  Example: She owned her mistakes and grew stronger.

Read: Verbs That Start With L

Fun Facts About Words Beginning With O

• O is one of the most versatile vowels – it can sound like /oʊ/ in open, /ɒ/ in on, or even /uː/ in move. Few vowels are this flexible in English. 
• O-words often suggest openness or expansion – think of open, outward, overflow, orbit, they carry a sense of movement, possibility, and growth. 
• Many scientific and technical terms begin with O – for example, osmosis, oxygen, orbit, oncology, showing its strong presence in academic language. 
• The letter O is also a word on its own – used as an exclamation in poetry, prayers, or formal speech (e.g., “O Lord,” “O beautiful dawn”), adding drama and elegance. 
• Old English roots give us many O-verbs – such as offer, own, and open, which have survived for centuries with meanings that remain surprisingly close to their original forms.

Read: Verbs That Start With M Read: Verbs That Start With N

Conclusion

Verbs that start with O may not be the most common in English, but they are rich in meaning, variety, and impact. From everyday actions like open and offer to powerful and inspiring words such as overcome, outshine, and optimize, O-verbs bring originality, optimism, and energy to language. Expanding your vocabulary with these verbs will not only improve your writing and speaking but also help you express ideas with more precision and creativity. Whether you are a student, writer, or language enthusiast, mastering verbs beginning with O is a smart way to upgrade your communication skills and make your words stand out.