Verbs are the glue that holds sentences together. They join subjects and objects together with cohesion and unity. How else could Martha evacuate the building or Mark electrify the audience? Verbs beep and bop all across our sentences, usually demonstrating the action taking place. Together, let’s take a look at 50 verbs that start with "e." Which new "e" verbs will ease into your next piece of writing?
What Is a Verb?
A verb is a word that expresses action or a state of being. The way the English language works, every word sits in a particular place and plays a specific role in a sentence. As such, verbs usually tend to come after the subject of a sentence. They also tend to appear before the object of a sentence. For example, “Martha educates her children on the benefits of exercise.” In this sentence, “Martha” is the subject, “educate” is the verb showing action, and “children” is the object receiving the action of the verb.
50 Verbs Starting With E
Knowing that most verbs are words that express action, let’s take a look at 50 verbs that start with "e." Some of these words can also function as other parts of speech, such as nouns or adjectives. However, the definitions provided here focus on verb usage so you'll be able to use these "e" words as the action stars of a sentence.
| Verb | Definition |
earn |
to gain something through effort or work |
eat |
to put food in the mouth, chew, and swallow |
eavesdrop |
to listen to a private conversation between other people without their knowledge |
echo |
to reflect a sound off a surface and repeat it |
eclipse |
to obscure or block out light; to surpass something else in prominence |
edit |
to prepare something for publication by removing errors or rearranging |
educate |
to teach a skill or subject |
eject |
to release or remove by force |
elaborate |
to add details to something |
elapse |
to pass by or slip by |
elect |
to vote for a person for office |
electrify |
to charge with electricity |
elevate |
to lift something up, promote, or boost |
elicit |
to evoke or draw out from someone |
eliminate |
to take out or remove |
elongate |
to grow or stretch longer |
elope |
to go away from home and get married in secret |
elude |
to cleverly avoid or escape |
to send a digital message via an electronic mail account |
|
embark |
to begin something that will occur over a period of time |
embarrass |
to cause someone to feel self-conscious |
embed |
to plant something deeply or firmly |
embellish |
to make something fancier by decorating it |
embezzle |
to steal or appropriate money or assets through fraud |
embody |
to represent in bodily form |
embrace |
to wrap one's arms around someone and hold them close |
emerge |
to come into view |
emit |
to discharge or let off |
employ |
to hire someone to do work for pay; to put into use |
empower |
to enable or give authority to someone |
emulate |
to copy or imitate |
enable |
to make something possible |
enact |
to put something into law |
enchant |
to delight or captivate someone |
enclose |
to close in or confine |
encounter |
to unexpectedly be in the presence of someone |
encrypt |
to encode something in a way that will keep it secret |
end |
to bring to a conclusion |
endanger |
to expose someone to peril |
endear |
to cause someone to be well-liked, beloved or admired |
endure |
to put up with or to undergo |
energize |
to give energy to or invigorate |
enfold |
to wrap in folds or envelop |
engage |
to participate fully in something |
enjoy |
to experience pleasure |
enthrall |
to completely capture someone’s attention |
erase |
to wipe out something |
escape |
to get away from a place, situation or person |
evict |
to force someone to leave a place or property |
excite |
to cause a strong emotional response |
Exploring Different Types of Verbs
The "e" verbs listed above are examples of action verbs. They are not the only kind of verb you may encounter in spoken communication or writing. There are actually several types of verbs in the English language.
Action Verbs That Start With E
The English language has many action verbs that start with "e." Makes sense, right? After all, action verbs are the most common type of verb. These verbs, which are also sometimes referred to as dynamic verbs, express the action of a sentence. “Katie enchanted the audience with her performance.” There are quite a few examples of action verbs beginning with every letter of the alphabet.
- Most action verbs are regular verbs, which change from present tense to past tense with the simple addition of -ed at the end. For example, “He couldn’t embark on the trip to Scotland, so he embarked on a trip to Wales instead.”
- Some action verbs are irregular verbs. There isn't a specific rule for how their past tense is formed, other than that it's not by adding -ed to the end. For the verb "eat," the past tense is not "eated," which is not a word at all. Instead, this term changes to "ate" in the past tense. For example, “She did not eat the cannoli; she ate the apple pie” represents correct usage.
- The best way to familiarize yourself with irregular verbs is to memorize them. Review this list of irregular verbs to learn which verbs are irregular. Commit some of the most popular ones, or at least the ones you use the most, to memory.
More Verb Types to Consider
Action verbs and their regular or irregular forms don't represent the full story when it comes to different types of verbs. There are also linking verbs and helping verbs. Though none begin with "e," they can be paired with other "e" words.
- Linking verbs link subjects to more information about them, as in "Ellen is ecstatic." Ellen is the subject, "is" is the linking verb and "ecstatic" is an adjective that describes Ellen's state of mind.
- Helping verbs are paired with main (action verbs) to extend their meaning, as in "Ethel is eating eggs." The word "is" is a helping verb and "eating "is the main verb.
For even more information about the various types and forms that verbs can take, explore basic English verb usage tips.
10 Example Sentences of E-Verbs
Verbs do a lot of heavy lifting in the English language. Whether they’re taking on the role of an action verb or a linking verb, they like to join our sentences together. Explore 10 sample sentences where "e" verbs are flexing their muscles.
- His presence will eclipse everyone else when he walks into the room.
- It’s time to educate ourselves on all things poetry.
- We must elevate one another with our thoughts, words, and actions.
- The seamstress should elongate the train on your dress.
- He loves to embellish a simple encounter.
- We will emerge from this catastrophe victorious.
- She could enchant him with a smile.
- Let’s just hope we never encounter a grizzly bear.
- Morning meditation will energize your soul.
- It was her job to erase the board at the end of the school day.
Elaborate Your Education
The more you read, the more you know and the stronger your vocabulary will be. Now that you have a head start on mastering "e" verbs, are you ready to explore that letter even more? Explore a list of adjectives that start with "e" to build your descriptive language vocabulary. For even more examples, review this extensive list of words that start with "e" on WordFinder by YourDictionary. You never know when you’ll want to add an eccentric character to your next story, whose status you could easily elevate with random acts of empowerment. When you're ready to go beyond "e," ease into the rest of the alphabet to find a selection of verbs that start with "f."