A transitive verb is used with a direct object, but that does not mean every verb in a transitive verbs list must be transitive in every sentence. English verbs can behave differently depending on how they are used.
The list below contains more than 130 useful verbs shown specifically in transitive use. Each example includes a direct object so you can see the person, thing, or idea connected directly to the verb in that use.
A Note About the Verbs in This List
Some verbs can be used both with and without a direct object.
Compare:
Maya shook the bottle before opening it.
The windows shook during the storm.
In the first sentence, the bottle is the direct object, so shook is being used transitively. In the second sentence, shook has no direct object.
The tables below show transitive uses only. A verb’s appearance in the list does not mean that it must take a direct object in every possible sentence.
Transitive Verbs List
The direct object is shown in bold in each example.
Transitive Verbs A–C
| Verb | Example of Transitive Use |
|---|---|
| accept | The museum accepts card payments. |
| address | The committee addressed the complaint. |
| admire | Sophie admired the stained-glass window. |
| advise | The counselor advised Jordan before the interview. |
| affect | Heavy rain affected several roads. |
| allow | The new rules allow pets in the building. |
| answer | Rina answered the email before lunch. |
| appreciate | We appreciate your patience. |
| approach | We approached the bridge carefully. |
| ask | Daniel asked a difficult question. |
| attend | More than fifty people attended the workshop. |
| avoid | Sam avoided the pothole. |
| bake | Elena baked two loaves of bread before breakfast. |
| beat | Our team beat the league champions. |
| believe | I believe her explanation. |
| blame | They blamed the weather for the delay. |
| borrow | I borrowed a ladder from my neighbor. |
| bring | Please bring your passport to the appointment. |
| build | The family built a small greenhouse. |
| buy | Marcus bought a secondhand desk. |
| call | I called my sister after dinner. |
| carry | The porter carried our bags upstairs. |
| catch | Lena caught the frisbee near the fence. |
| change | The tailor changed the hem slightly. |
| check | Ravi checked the lock before leaving. |
| choose | We chose the blue fabric. |
| clean | The staff cleaned the windows this morning. |
| close | Jon closed the gate behind him. |
| collect | The students collected fallen leaves for the project. |
| compare | The review compares two laptop models. |
| complete | Our group completed the survey yesterday. |
| consider | The board considered the proposal carefully. |
| contact | Please contact the front office if your plans change. |
| control | Mina controlled the drone from the field. |
| cook | Amir cooked lentils for dinner. |
| copy | Eva copied the address into her notebook. |
| correct | The editor corrected the typo before publication. |
| create | The artist created a large mural for the library. |
| cut | Ben cut the rope with a pocketknife. |
Transitive Verbs D–H
| Verb | Example of Transitive Use |
|---|---|
| decorate | We decorated the hall with paper lanterns. |
| deliver | The courier delivered the parcel before noon. |
| describe | Nina described the scene in detail. |
| design | Engineers designed the new bridge. |
| destroy | The fire destroyed the storage shed. |
| discuss | We discussed the schedule over breakfast. |
| divide | The teacher divided the class into four groups. |
| draw | Arun drew a map on the whiteboard. |
| drive | Carla drives a taxi on weekends. |
| drop | The waiter dropped a tray in the kitchen. |
| eat | The rabbit ate the carrot. |
| educate | The program educates children about road safety. |
| employ | The factory employs two hundred workers. |
| encourage | The coach encouraged teamwork throughout the season. |
| enjoy | We enjoyed the outdoor concert. |
| expect | The coach expects better results next season. |
| explain | Owen explained the delay to his manager. |
| feed | Omar fed the birds before breakfast. |
| fill | Lila filled the bottle with cold water. |
| find | I found my glasses under the newspaper. |
| finish | They finished the renovation ahead of schedule. |
| fix | Tara fixed the leaking faucet. |
| fold | Ben folded the blanket neatly. |
| follow | The hikers followed the marked trail. |
| gather | We gathered firewood before sunset. |
| give | Mia gave a short presentation at the meeting. |
| grab | Noah grabbed the handle as the bus moved. |
| guide | Small lights guided the visitors toward the exit. |
| handle | Kim handled the customer complaint calmly. |
| hate | Leo hates crowded elevators. |
| have | The apartment has two balconies. |
| help | The guide helped the tourists during the climb. |
| hide | Leo hid the spare key behind a flowerpot. |
| hold | Rosa held the lantern above her head. |
| hug | The child hugged his grandfather tightly. |
Transitive Verbs I–M
| Verb | Example of Transitive Use |
|---|---|
| identify | The witness identified the driver. |
| inform | The receptionist informed the guests about the change. |
| invite | The club invited new members to the workshop. |
| join | Asha joined the discussion after lunch. |
| keep | Please keep the receipt until your order arrives. |
| kick | Theo kicked the ball across the yard. |
| kiss | The mother kissed the baby on the forehead. |
| know | I know the answer to that question. |
| leave | Jordan left the keys on the counter. |
| lend | The library lends tablets to students. |
| like | The children like fresh mangoes. |
| list | The menu lists several vegetarian dishes. |
| load | The workers loaded the truck before sunrise. |
| love | Sofia loves old mystery films. |
| make | The carpenter made a wooden shelf. |
| measure | The nurse measured his temperature. |
| mention | Priya mentioned the deadline during the call. |
| move | We moved the sofa closer to the window. |
Transitive Verbs N–R
| Verb | Example of Transitive Use |
|---|---|
| need | The garden needs more water. |
| notice | We noticed a crack in the wall. |
| offer | The café offers free refills with breakfast. |
| open | Dina opened the envelope carefully. |
| organize | The volunteers organized the supplies by category. |
| paint | Kai painted the fence on Saturday. |
| pass | Could you pass the salt? |
| pay | We paid the bill before leaving. |
| phone | Grace phoned her mother from the station. |
| pick | Liam picked an apple from the tree. |
| plan | They planned the event several months in advance. |
| play | Maya played the piano during the recital. |
| prefer | Ava prefers window seats. |
| prepare | Leah prepared the guest room before her parents arrived. |
| The office printed the labels this morning. | |
| protect | The padded case protects the screen. |
| pull | Ava pulled the curtain across the window. |
| push | Sam pushed the cart toward the checkout. |
| raise | The school raised funds for new library books. |
| read | Jules read the instructions twice. |
| receive | The shelter received a large donation. |
| recognize | I recognized her voice immediately. |
| record | The camera recorded the entire performance. |
| remind | The alarm reminded me about the appointment. |
| remove | The mechanic removed the damaged wheel. |
| repair | They repaired the roof after the storm. |
| replace | We replaced the old battery. |
| report | Several neighbors reported the noise. |
| respect | The players respect their captain. |
Transitive Verbs S–Z
| Verb | Example of Transitive Use |
|---|---|
| save | The shortcut saved twenty minutes. |
| see | We saw the comet just after midnight. |
| select | The panel selected three finalists. |
| send | Nora sent the invoice by email. |
| serve | The café serves breakfast until eleven. |
| show | The map shows the safest route through the park. |
| sing | Clara sang a lullaby to the baby. |
| solve | The team solved the puzzle in ten minutes. |
| suggest | Priya suggested a different route. |
| support | The brace supports the knee during movement. |
| take | Maya took the folder from the desk. |
| teach | Ms. Ortiz teaches science at the local school. |
| tell | Mira told the truth immediately. |
| thank | We thanked our host before leaving. |
| touch | Please do not touch the wet paint. |
| trust | I trust your judgment. |
| use | The workshop uses recycled paper for its packaging. |
| value | The company values honesty in its employees. |
| visit | They visited the aquarium on Sunday. |
| want | I want some cold water. |
| wash | Aria washed the dishes after dinner. |
| watch | We watched the sunrise from the balcony. |
| wear | Noah wore a raincoat during the walk. |
| write | Lena wrote a short note for her neighbor. |
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