35 Intransitive Verb Examples: Better Grammar Guide

What do laugh, run, fall, and swim have in common? They are all intransitive verb examples – make your English precise with 35 of them today!

We will also look at:

How to pronounce exist
How to pronounce laugh – both intransitive verbs.

intransitive verb sentence — Intransitive verb sentence

Intransitive verb examples

Here are 15 intransitive verb examples along with their meanings. Read the words out, pronouncing them carefully!

Intransitive verb example	Definition
go	To go is to move from one place to another
lie	To be in a horizontal position, typically to rest. For instance, we lie down on the sofa!
come	To move or travel towards the speaker or with the speaker. For example: Come here, please!
run	If we run, we move more quickly than walking or jogging. It also means to operate a business!
fall	To move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control. For example a book can fall off the shelf, onto the floor.
swim	This is the action of moving through the water, usually in a certain style (EG backstroke)
wander	To walk or move in a leisurely, casual, or aimless way
exist	To have actual being; to be alive or real. Some people say aliens exist!
happen	To take place, to occur
rise	To get up from lying, sitting, or kneeling. Also, we talk about things doing this, like the temperature.
wait	This verb means to stay in place, usually until an expected event happens
jump	It’s a movement. Cats are good at it! They can jump up onto a table.
cry	To shed tears, especially as a result of strong emotion. Usually when we feel sad, but also sentimental!
smile	If your face looks happy, you are probably smiling. Your lips are shaped in an upward direction.
dance	This one means to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps. Can you dance?

Try to remember all of these Intransitive verb examples. Later we will practice making sentences with them!

How to pronounce exist

One of the intransitive verbs above that can cause problems for students is exist – let’s look at how to pronounce exist:

Begin with the short ‘eh’ sound, similar to the ‘e’ in “bed.”
Next, add the ‘g’ sound, as in “gift,” but without fully voicing it—a soft ‘g’ as in ‘exist.’
Follow with the ‘z’ sound, like the ‘s’ in “is.”
Then say the ‘ih’ sound, which is a short vowel sound like the ‘i’ in “bit.”
End with the ‘st’ sound by combining the ‘s’ sound and the hard ‘t’ sound.

Put it all together and you get eh-z-ih-st or /ɪɡˈzɪst/.

Now try this sentence together with me: Where do palm trees exist?

What is an intransitive verb?

An intransitive verb is a kind of action word that doesn’t need a direct receiver (in grammar we call this an object) of the action to make sense. It’s like saying someone or something just does something all by itself. For example:

“She laughs.” This just tells us what she is doing on her own.
“The cat slept.” Here, the cat did the action of sleeping without needing to say who or what was slept on.
“He arrived.” This lets us know he got there, and we don’t need more information to understand it.

Laugh, sleep, and arrive are intransitive verbs. Here are the sentences again with a bit more detail:

Subject	Intransitive Verb	Example Sentence
She	laughs	“She laughs uncontrollably.”
The cat	slept	“The cat slept on the windowsill.”
He	arrived	“He arrived early for the meeting.”

These are intransitive verbs

Intransitive verb example sentences

Now that we have looked at what they are, let’s practice some intransitive verb example sentences! Read along and try repeating them. After you feel comfortable with this sentence style, try to make your own!

The baby started to cry in the middle of the night.
After our coffees, we all decided to dance in the living room!
Every morning, the sun rises and fills the sky with light.
I closed the book, stood up, and began to wander through the garden.
Pete could run faster than anyone else on the team.
The children love to jump in the puddles after it rains.
Whenever I’m stressed, I just take a moment to smile. It really makes me feel better.
As the violin played, Ava started to swim gracefully in the pool.
As the leaves fell, autumn slowly took over the park.
I often wait the train.
I hope to watch the birds go south for the winter this year.
In the quiet forest, the ancient tree exists as a silent witness to time.
When he heard the joke, he couldn’t help but laugh!
Every night before sleep, I lie in bed and read a book.
Please come inside before it gets too cold!

Intransitive verbs

Here are a few more intransitive verbs with meanings. Check them out, and then try to make your own sentences with them!

Intransitive Verbs	Meaning	Intransitive verb example sentences
yawn	To open the mouth widely and inhale deeply due to tiredness or boredom	During the long meeting, Maria couldn’t help but yawn! I did too!
shiver	To shake slightly, usually because of cold or fear	Antonio started to shiver as soon as the temperature dropped.
sigh	To emit a long, deep, audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or a similar feeling	After the final exam, Mara sighed with relief.
growl	To make a low guttural sound in the throat	The dog will often growl when strangers approach the house.
dream	To experience thoughts, images, and sensations while sleeping	Last night, I dreamt of flying above the clouds.

Use the above transitives to make original statements. You got this!

Intransitive verb list

Let us continue to expand our English vocabulary with one more intransitive verb list today.

Intransitive verb list	Word meaning
sleep	We usually do this at night. To be in a state of rest with the eyes closed
shout	To yell or call out loudly, usually when we feel angry or excited.
laugh	Ever watched Mr. Bean? You probably laughed! It is to express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles!
weep	Weeping is like crying. Done when we feel sad.
sit	We sit on chairs or the floor. The opposite to standing.
stand	To be in an upright position The opposite to sitting!
sneeze	To expel air involuntarily from the nose due to irritation. Bless you!
shrug	This verb means to raise and lower the shoulders to express ignorance, doubt, or indifference
linger	To hang around or stay in a place longer than necessary because of a reluctance to leave
soar	To fly or rise high in the air. Eagles and airplanes soar. It has the same pronunciation as sore.
blink	It means to close and open the eyes quickly
frown	If we show a facial expression of disapproval or concern, we are most probably frowning.
knock	To strike a surface noisily to attract attention, usually to gain entry to a room – please knock on my door before coming in!
nod	To move the head in agreement. In Western and Far eastern cultures, we do it by moving the head slightly forwards and backwards.
retire	To withdraw to a quiet or secluded place. Also it means to finish working, usually because of our age.
squint	We look at something with our eyes partly closed – it might be too bright.
stammer	To speak with involuntary breaks and pauses – basically not smooth.
tremble	It looks similar to shivering. To shake involuntarily as a result of anxiety or excitement.
whistle	Referees whistle. They produce a sound by forcing breath through a small hole between the lips
yawn	If we are tired or bored, we might yawn. We open our mouths widely and breathe in sleepily.

Please try to remember each word on this intransitive verb list!

Laugh pronunciation

Let’s look at how to pronounce laugh – whilst this is the way I have pronounced it, there are other ways to do so, too!

Start with the ‘l’ sound, which is made by pressing the tip of your tongue against the back of your front teeth, just like when saying the word “let.”
Then, move on to the vowel sound, which is the short ‘a’ sound, as in “apple.”
Finally, end with the ‘f’ sound, where you gently bite your lower lip with your upper teeth and push air out of your mouth.

Putting it all together, laugh is pronounced as /læf/, sounding similar to the word “half” but starting with an ‘l’.

Practice with me: When you watch a funny movie, you can’t help but laugh!

Intransitive verb example sentences: part 2

Now onto the second part of today’s intransitive verb example sentences – using the verb list above. To improve your speaking and fluency, read and repeat them all out loud!

Sleep: The baby sleeps peacefully in her crib.
Shout: James shouts whenever his football team scores a goal.
Laugh: You laugh every time you watch that comedy show, don’t you?
Weep: Seeing that untidy room is enough to make me weep!
Sit: I sit by the window to enjoy the sea view.
Stand: They stand at attention when the anthem plays.
Sneeze: I always sneeze after smelling pepper. How about you?
Shrug: Isla shrugs in response to the confusing question.
Linger: Clouds linger in the sky after the rain.
Soar: Eagles soar above the mountain peaks.
Blink: I blink rapidly to clear my vision.
Frown: The child frowns at the taste of the rather bitter medicine.
Knock: Someone knocks at the door late at night.
Nod: The audience nodded in agreement with the speaker.
Retire: My grandparents retire to the countryside next year.
Squint: I squint at the bright screen.”
Stammer: Nervously, he stammers during his speech.
Tremble: Her hands tremble as she opens the letter. It contains her exam results.
Whistle: The guard whistles to alert everyone.
Yawn: I yawn after a long day at work.

Intransitive verb examples: useful to digest

I hope you have enjoyed reading, digesting, and repeating all of today’s intransitive verb examples. As a final thought today, and also as a super-handy summary to this topic, why don’t we answer this question: Why do we need intransitive verbs?

They are are essential for several reasons, but mainly:

Using intransitive verbs sharpens communication and deepens understanding of English grammar.

Conciseness: They enable clear, brief sentences, simplifying expression and understanding without extra details. (I could not help but laugh – we don’t need to elaborate, the topic was funny.)
Vocabulary Expansion: Learning these verbs diversifies our vocabulary, offering more ways to depict actions that lack a direct object.
Accuracy: Grasping intransitive verbs aids in avoiding grammar errors, particularly unnecessary objects which can muddle meaning. Simple is often best!
Phrase Mastery: Many English phrases use intransitive verbs, so recognizing them can help decipher everyday speech.
Listening and Speaking Skills: Identifying intransitive verbs helps with following spoken English and improves verbal communication for a more native-like fluency.