Verbs such as arrive, sneeze, disappear, and occur can be used without a direct object. Other verbs, including change, grow, move, and run, may also appear without an object in some sentences.
The list below shows more than 140 English verbs in intransitive use. Each example is written so that the verb does not take a direct object.
About Dual-Use Verbs
A verb’s appearance in this list does not mean that it must always be intransitive.
Some entries, such as change, move, grow, open, run, and start, can also take a direct object in other contexts. The sentences below show only their intransitive uses.
Intransitive Verbs List
Intransitive Verbs A–D
| Verb | Example of Intransitive Use |
|---|---|
| ache | My shoulders ached after the long drive. |
| age | The wooden beams aged naturally over the years. |
| agree | After a lengthy discussion, both sides finally agreed. |
| appear | A bright rainbow appeared above the fields. |
| arise | Several unexpected questions arose during the meeting. |
| arrive | A handwritten reply arrived three days later. |
| bark | A dog barked somewhere beyond the fence. |
| belong | Those boxes belong in the storage room. |
| bleed | The small cut bled for several minutes. |
| bloom | The cherry trees bloomed early this spring. |
| blush | Nina blushed when everyone applauded. |
| boil | The milk boiled within a few minutes. |
| bounce | The ball bounced across the pavement. |
| breathe | He breathed slowly until the room became quiet. |
| burp | The baby burped after feeding. |
| camp | We camped beside the lake for two nights. |
| change | The neighborhood has changed considerably since last year. |
| cheer | Everyone cheered when the results appeared on the screen. |
| close | The exhibition closed at six o’clock. |
| collapse | Part of the old wall collapsed during the storm. |
| come | Several relatives came for the weekend. |
| consist | The collection consists of twelve handwritten letters. |
| continue | The music continued well into the evening. |
| cough | Someone coughed at the back of the room. |
| crack | The ice cracked beneath the sudden pressure. |
| crawl | A beetle crawled across the windowsill. |
| cry | The child cried for a few minutes and then calmed down. |
| dance | Several couples danced until midnight. |
| decay | Fallen branches decayed slowly on the forest floor. |
| depart | The final ferry departed just before sunset. |
| depend | The final decision depends on several factors. |
| die | The houseplant died during the unusually hot summer. |
| disappear | The stain disappeared after a second wash. |
| dive | The swimmers dived from the platform one after another. |
| dream | I dreamed vividly last night. |
| drift | Thin clouds drifted across the evening sky. |
Intransitive Verbs E–H
| Verb | Example of Intransitive Use |
|---|---|
| emerge | A deer emerged from the trees at dusk. |
| end | The discussion ended sooner than expected. |
| erupt | The volcano erupted without much warning. |
| escape | Steam escaped through a narrow opening. |
| evaporate | Most of the moisture evaporated by midday. |
| exist | Only a few original copies still exist. |
| explode | One of the tires exploded on the highway. |
| fade | The afternoon light faded behind the mountains. |
| fail | The backup generator failed during the outage. |
| faint | One spectator fainted near the entrance. |
| fall | A framed photograph fell from the mantel. |
| flee | The frightened deer fled into the woods. |
| float | Small pieces of ice floated near the shore. |
| flourish | Wildflowers flourished after the wet winter. |
| flow | Meltwater flowed down the rocky slope. |
| fly | A flock of geese flew overhead at dawn. |
| freeze | The pond froze during the night. |
| gasp | Several people gasped when the curtain lifted. |
| gather | Dark clouds gathered over the western hills. |
| giggle | The children giggled quietly in the hallway. |
| glow | The coals glowed long after the fire had died down. |
| go | We went through the side entrance. |
| grow | The seedlings grew quickly in the warm greenhouse. |
| happen | Something unusual happened during the final round. |
| hatch | Three of the eggs hatched overnight. |
| hesitate | Nora hesitated before answering. |
| hike | We hiked along the ridge for most of the afternoon. |
| hop | A rabbit hopped across the garden path. |
| howl | Wolves howled in the distance after dark. |
| hurry | Everyone hurried toward the shelter when the rain began. |
Intransitive Verbs I–M
| Verb | Example of Intransitive Use |
|---|---|
| improve | Traffic conditions improved after the morning rush. |
| increase | Attendance increased steadily throughout the year. |
| jog | Carla jogs along the river before work. |
| jump | The cat jumped onto the windowsill. |
| kneel | The photographer knelt beside the flower bed. |
| laugh | Rosa laughed until tears filled her eyes. |
| leap | The horse leaped over the narrow ditch. |
| linger | A few customers lingered after the café had closed. |
| listen | The students listened in silence from the back row. |
| live | Several families live near the old railway station. |
| march | The musicians marched through the town square. |
| mature | The cheese matured for several months in a cool cellar. |
| melt | The remaining snow melted by early afternoon. |
| migrate | Many birds migrate south before winter. |
| move | The clouds moved slowly toward the coast. |
Intransitive Verbs N–R
| Verb | Example of Intransitive Use |
|---|---|
| nod | Daniel nodded in agreement. |
| occur | The power failure occurred shortly before noon. |
| open | The main gates opened at sunrise. |
| pass | Several weeks passed before another letter arrived. |
| pause | The orchestra paused between movements. |
| persist | The strange noise persisted throughout the night. |
| protest | Local residents protested outside the council building. |
| race | Two cyclists raced along the coastal road. |
| rain | It rained throughout most of the afternoon. |
| react | Everyone reacted differently to the announcement. |
| recover | The injured bird recovered surprisingly quickly. |
| relax | We relaxed on the terrace after dinner. |
| resign | The director resigned on Monday morning. |
| rest | The horses rested beneath the trees. |
| retire | My neighbor retired at the end of last year. |
| return | The hikers returned before darkness fell. |
| rise | Mist rose from the valley after sunrise. |
| roar | The crowd roared when the final score appeared. |
| roll | An empty bottle rolled under the bench. |
| run | Several children ran across the field. |
| rush | Passengers rushed toward the platform when the train arrived. |
Intransitive Verbs S–Z
| Verb | Example of Intransitive Use |
|---|---|
| sail | We sailed along the coastline until evening. |
| scream | Someone screamed from the upper floor. |
| settle | Dust settled slowly on the unused furniture. |
| shine | The stars shone brightly above the desert. |
| shiver | Theo shivered in the cold morning air. |
| shop | We shopped downtown for most of the afternoon. |
| shrink | The fabric shrank slightly after washing. |
| sigh | Clara sighed before turning back to her work. |
| sink | The damaged boat sank before help arrived. |
| sit | Several passengers sat near the rear exit. |
| sleep | The campers slept beneath a canvas shelter. |
| slip | One runner slipped on the wet track. |
| smile | Priya smiled when she saw the finished painting. |
| sneeze | Someone sneezed loudly in the next room. |
| snore | Grandpa snored throughout most of the movie. |
| snow | It snowed steadily through the morning. |
| soar | Two eagles soared above the cliffs. |
| sparkle | Fresh snow sparkled in the morning sunlight. |
| speak | The guest speaker spoke for nearly an hour. |
| spin | The wheel spun rapidly before slowing down. |
| spread | Thick fog spread across the valley before dawn. |
| stand | Several people stood near the back wall. |
| start | The concert started a few minutes late. |
| stay | We stayed until the final train departed. |
| stop | The rain stopped shortly after midnight. |
| stumble | Amir stumbled on the uneven pavement. |
| succeed | The experiment succeeded despite several early setbacks. |
| survive | Only a few young trees survived through the winter. |
| swim | The children swam near the shallow end. |
| talk | We talked for nearly two hours. |
| thrive | The herbs thrived in the sunny kitchen window. |
| travel | The group traveled through northern Spain in May. |
| tremble | The windowpanes trembled as the truck passed. |
| trip | Maya tripped near the bottom of the stairs. |
| tumble | Several stones tumbled down the hillside. |
| twinkle | Small lights twinkled across the harbor. |
| vanish | The footprints vanished beneath fresh snow. |
| wait | The audience waited in silence before the announcement. |
| wake | I woke shortly before the alarm. |
| walk | Sofia walked along the beach after breakfast. |
| wander | A few sheep wandered beyond the fence. |
| wave | Flags waved above the entrance. |
| weep | Several relatives wept quietly at the memorial. |
| work | The old clock still works despite its age. |
| worsen | Road conditions worsened as the snow became heavier. |
| yawn | Someone yawned during the final presentation. |
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