Verbs That Start With W

If we had to designate two central parts of speech that we couldn't live without, they'd be nouns and verbs. Nouns let us know what or who a sentence is about and verbs set the subject into motion. Speaking of verbs, no vocabulary is complete without verbs that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Take the time to walk through this list of 50 verbs that start with "w."

Verbs Starting With W

The letter "w" is close to the end of the alphabet, but that doesn't mean that there is a shortage of verbs that begin with this letter. Explore a wealth of "w" verbs, find out what each one means, and even discover a few similar synonyms.

Verb	Definition	Synonyms
wade	to walk through a shallow area of water	splash, plod, splosh
wait	to pause	stand by, halt, delay
waive	to give up your right to something	sign away, yield, give up
wake	to stop sleeping	awaken, stir, rouse
walk	to move along on foot	step, stroll, trek
wander	to travel without a definite purpose	meander, drift, saunter
want	to desire something	crave, wish for, covet
warm	to raise the temperature	heat, cook, melt
warn	to caution against danger	advise, tip-off, alert
warp	to bend	distort, become misshapen, contort
warrant	to guarantee	attest, validate, affirm
wash	to clean something	bathe, cleanse, scrub
waste	to use irresponsibly	misuse, squander, throw away
watch	to look closely at something	observe, see, scrutinize
weaken	to lose strength	diminish, exhaust, wither
wear	to be clothed	don, put on, cover
weave	to interlace pieces together	braid, crisscross, fashion
wed	to join or marry	elope, espouse, entwine
weep	to cry a	bawl, shed tears, sob
weigh	to figure out how heavy something is	measure weight, determine weight
welcome	a polite, friendly greeting	receive, say hello, salute
weld	to bind together	connect, fuse, attach
whack	to strike with a sharp, resounding blow	bang, bash, clobber
whine	to complain in a petulant way	fret, fuss, whimper
whip	to beat with a flexible piece of leather	crop, lash, switch
whisk	to stir liquid ingredients	beat, whip, combine
whisper	to quietly relay information	murmur, mutter, speak softly
widen	to open up	broaden, expand, stretch
wiggle	to fidget and squirm around	shake, squirm, wriggle
will	to command something to happen	decree, order, ensure
wilt	to sag	droop, wither, fall over
win	to be the most successful at something	beat, influence, triumph
wink	to quickly open and close one eye at a time	blink, nictate, squint
wipe	to pass over with a cloth	clean, efface, swab
wish	to want something	yearn, hope for, desire
withdraw	to remove	revoke, rescind, abrogate
wither	to droop	dry, sere, shrivel
withhold	to hold back	deny, suppress, refuse
withstand	to endure	bear, brave, endure
witness	to observe an event taking place	see, behold, testify
wobble	to move in an unsteady way	quaver, shake, teeter
wonder	to want to know something	ponder, speculate, think about
woo	to gain love, affection, or support	charm, coax, court
work	to engage in activity to accomplish something	toil, effort, labor
worry	to feel anxiety or concern	fret, agonize, dwell on
wrap	to enclose or cover something	cloak, sheet, envelop
wreak	to damage or destroy	inflict, deliver, unleash
wrestle	to struggle	battle, grapple, tussle
wring	to twist	compress, squeeze, scrunch
write	to put language down on paper	author, note, correspond

Types of Verbs

Action verbs, like the ones listed above, indicate the sentence's action. They put the subject of the sentence into motion. However, they're not the only type of verb. There are also helping verbs, which clarify the meaning of the main action verb of the sentence. Linking verbs are a third type of verb that is commonly used in sentences.

The most common type of verb is an action verb. These are verbs that highlight things you can do. For example, you can "watch television" or "wring your hands." These verbs refer to specific actions being performed.
Helping verbs assist the main verb by extending its meaning, so they're always paired with an action verb. The word was is a helping verb that starts with "w." Consider this sentence: "I was watching television before you called." The helping verb (was) extends the meaning of the main verb (watching).
Linking verbs don't indicate action and don't need to be paired with another verb. They link the subject of the sentence to additional information. The word were is an example of a linking verb that starts with "w." Consider the sentence, "We were happy." The linking verb (were) connects the subject (we) to an adjective (happy).

10 Example Sentences

Adding a lot of "w" verbs to your vocabulary is a great idea, but the real benefit is being able to use these words in sentences. Don't forget that simple sentences all tend to follow the same basic pattern: subject + verb + direct object. In the sentence, "Wanda weaved a new basket," "Wanda" is the subject, "weaved" is the verb, and "basket" is the direct object. Now you're ready to wander your way through a few sample sentences that use verbs that start with "w."

Make sure the kids wade into the water.
Don't forget to wave to the queen.
Let's make sure we wake up at six.
I love to wander and roam around Rome.
Can you warm up my tea, please?
His bad behavior does not warrant that level of punishment.
When you wish upon a star, dreams come true.
We watched him wobble across the ropes course.
I can't help but wonder what's inside that wooden box.
She likes to write in her journal.

Wandering and Wonderful W-Verbs

Did you know there were so many useful verbs that start with "w" at your disposal? Let the wonder of your mind wiggle down a blank page while you see if you can put any of these verbs to use in your next bit of writing. And, while you're at it, try to pair them with these nouns that start with "w" for some alliterative wordplay! Don't stop with just verbs and nouns. Go all out with this wonderful collection of words that start with "w" on WordFinder by YourDictionary. Then, start exploring the rest of the alphabet by reviewing verbs that start with "x," "y" and "z."