1 (activity) the time has come for action ha llegado el momento de hacer algo or de actuar
when shall we get some action on this? ¿cuándo se va a hacer algo al respecto? he needs prodding into action my freedom of action in this matter is very restricted I want to see some action here she claimed she was anxious to avoid any action which might harm him what was needed, he said, was decisive action to halt what he called these savage crimes
into action they went into action to rescue the climbers intervinieron para rescatar a los alpinistas
hospital staff immediately went into action to save her by the time the airport fire service went into action, the roof had fallen in Heseltine will go into action this week with a series of speeches
to put a plan into action poner un plan en práctica or en marcha; emergency procedures will be put into action las medidas de emergencia serán puestas en marcha
to put democratic principles into action reforms in agriculture in the fifties were put into action against a background of social transformation they have excelled in learning the lessons of business management theory, and putting them into action you ought to put the idea into action straight away Gorbachev put into action policies that will end the shortages
a man of action un hombre de acción [out of] action
to be out of action [+machinery] no funcionar; estar averiado the lifts are out of action los ascensores no funcionan or están averiados
out of action no funciona; fuera de servicio
he was out of action for months estuvo sin poder hacer nada durante meses
to [put] sth out of action the transmitter was put out of action factories directly hit by bombs weren't put out of action, at least not for very long the bow of the longboat caught fire as it was swung out over the rail, putting it out of action the damage caused by the explosion put the ship out of action for six months to [put] sb out of action
the illness put him out of action for six months la enfermedad lo dejó seis meses fuera de combate
action stations! ¡a sus puestos! to [go] to action stations
2 (steps) medidas (f)emergency action medidas (f) de emergencia
to take action against sb/sth tomar medidas contra algn/algo if we don't take action now, it will be too late we never thought they would take such drastic action the agency will take such action as it deems necessary to recover its property when people take collective action in rebellion against a particular constraint now is the time to take action to put yourself on a new road if you think a mistake has been made you should take some action Sam decided to take evasive action
their advice is to take no action aconsejan no hacer nada
we have decided to take no further action I would take no action at this stage other than to keep on trying
3 (deed) acto (m) he wasn't responsible for his actions no era responsable de sus actos; to judge sb by his actions juzgar a algn por sus actos or acciones
he did not like his actions questioned as always, Peter had a reason for his action
to suit the action to the word unir la acción a la palabra "I've found the technique. Instead of hitting hard, one simply chips lightly and persuades quite small pieces to detach themselves." Suiting the action to the words, he chipped - and a piece of material the size of a sparrow's egg broke free He'd have to see Hannah, Webb thought, and the sooner he got that over, the better. Suiting the action to the thought, he pushed back his chair and strode from the room
actions speak louder than words obras son amores, que no buenas razones
4 (excitement) animación (f); marcha (informal) (f) they were hoping to find some action esperaban encontrar algo de animación; esperaban encontrar algo de marcha (informal); where's the action in this town? ¿dónde está la marcha en este pueblo? (informal); he likes to be where the action is le gusta estar en medio del meollo (informal)
let's go where the action is vamos a algún sitio donde haya marcha Hollywood is where the action is now
a piece or slice of the action una tajada (informal); una parte de los dividendos holiday spots have seen a dramatic revival and tourist chiefs are competing for a slice of the action he figured that if the employees owned a piece of the action, they would have an incentive to stay with the corporation and work harder for its success so many people have been clamouring for a slice of the action that allocations of the 11.6m shares have had to be scaled down athletes who've labored for years as amateurs, now want a piece of the action
5 (Mil) (intervention) intervención (f); (engagement) contienda (f); enfrentamiento (m) we are trying to avoid military action estamos tratando de evitar la intervención militar
leaders in America have generally supported military action if it proves necessary
we didn't know how many men we had lost until the action was over no supimos cuántos hombres habíamos perdido hasta que terminó la contienda or el enfrentamiento
to go into action [+person, unit] entrar en acción or en combate he left for the front in November 1915 and first went into action in France a month later
[+army, battleship] entrar en acción the battleship Missouri went into action today for the first time since the Korean War the British Army went into action wrapped in contradictions
wounded/killed in action herido/muerto en acción (de guerra) or en combate he was awarded a medal for bravery [in] action
to see action luchar he saw action in North Africa
6 (mechanism) [of piano] transmisión (f); [of clock] mecanismo (m) I took it in to have the action repaired once the action has been adjusted it will sound a lot better
7 (motion) (gen) movimiento (m); [of horse] marcha (f) the machine replicates the action of a waterfall
8 (effect, operation) [of acid, drug, elements] efecto (m) stones worn smooth by the action of water piedras (f) erosionadas por efecto del agua
her description of the nature and action of poisons is amazingly accurate
9 (Jur) (measures) acción (f) judicial; (lawsuit) proceso (m) judicial the police are not taking any action la policía no va a emprender ninguna acción judicial
two leading law firms are to prepare legal actions against tobacco companies
to bring an action against sb comenzar un proceso judicial contra algn
a libel action brought by one of France's bureaucrats
action for damages demanda (f) por daños y perjuicios
10 (Teat) (Cine) [of play] acción (f) the action (of the play) takes place in Greece la acción (de la obra) se desarrolla en Grecia; action! (Cine) ¡acción!
11 (Fís) acción (f) the reaction is equal and opposite to the action
