If you’re trying to grow your vocabulary, verbs that start with O are a great place to begin. They’re expressive, easy to use, and show up more often in everyday English than you might think. Whether you’re writing, speaking, or just trying to sound more confident, learning these verbs can really sharpen your communication skills. In this article, we’ll explore a helpful list of verbs that start with O.
What Are Verbs that Start with O?
Verbs are words that describe what someone does, how something happens, or the state something is in. They appear frequently in everyday English, whether a person observes a moment, organizes their schedule, or overcomes a challenge. Verbs that start with O are practical, easy to recognize, and useful for anyone looking to improve their vocabulary. This section takes a closer look at some of the most common verbs that start with O.
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Common Verbs That With O
| Observe | Obtain | Offer |
| Open | Operate | Organize |
| Overcome | Outline | Occupy |
| Oppose | Opt | Overlook |
| Oversee | Overdo | Overpay |
| Order | Own | Overreact |
| Open up | Overwork | Out |
| Overlap | Outgrow | Outlast |
| Outdo | Outplay | Outrun |
| Outsell | Outsmart | Outsource |
| Overstate | Overhear | Outshine |
| Outnumber | Overuse | Overfeed |
| Outperform | Outreach | Outvote |
| Outthink | Outclass | Overcook |
| Overload | Overcharge | Outpace |

Action Verbs that Start with O with Examples
| Verb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|
| Observe | She observed the birds in the garden. |
| Obtain | He obtained permission to enter the building. |
| Offer | They offered her a job at the company. |
| Open | He opened the door for his friend. |
| Operate | The nurse operates the medical equipment carefully. |
| Organize | She organized the files on her desk. |
| Overcome | He overcame his fear of speaking in public. |
| Outline | The teacher outlined the lesson plan for the class. |
| Occupy | Children occupy themselves with games during recess. |
| Oppose | Many citizens opposed the new law. |
| Opt | She opted to take the earlier train. |
| Oversee | He oversees the daily operations of the store. |

Positive Verbs That Start with O
| Verb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|
| Offer | She offered help to her friend. |
| Open | He opened a new opportunity for the team. |
| Optimize | They optimized their workflow to save time. |
| Organize | She organized a fundraiser for the community. |
| Overcome | He overcame his fear of public speaking. |
| Outperform | The student outperformed everyone in the exam. |
| Outshine | Her work outshone all the others in the class. |
| Outdo | She always outdoes herself in every project. |
| Outreach | They outreached to help the local community. |
| Overachieve | He overachieved in his training through dedication. |
| Overdeliver | The company overdelivered on their promises. |
| Outclass | The athlete outclassed the competition. |
| Overjoy | The news overjoyed the whole family. |
| Outgrow | He outgrew his old habits and improved himself. |
| Outpace | The sprinter outpaced everyone on the track. |

Regular Verbs That Start With O
| Verb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|
| Open | He opened the window to let in fresh air. |
| Offer | She offered to help her friend with homework. |
| Organize | They organized the files neatly on the desk. |
| Observe | She observed the children playing in the park. |
| Order | He ordered his favorite book online. |
| Outnumber | The cats outnumbered the dogs in the shelter. |
| Outline | The teacher outlined the main points of the lesson. |
| Overwork | She overworked herself trying to finish the project. |
| Overdeliver | The company overdelivered on their promises. |
| Overstate | He overstated his achievements in the interview. |
| Overcook | He overcooked the pasta but it was still tasty. |
| Overuse | They overused the phrase in the essay. |
| Overachieve | She overachieved in her exams through hard work. |
| Overpay | He overpaid for the tickets by mistake. |
| Outstretch | He outstretched his arms to reach the top shelf. |
Irregular Verbs That Start With O
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overcome | Overcame | Overcome | He overcame his fear of public speaking. |
| Oversee | Oversaw | Overseen | She oversaw the project to ensure it ran smoothly. |
| Outdo | Outdid | Outdone | He outdid himself in the competition. |
| Outgrow | Outgrew | Outgrown | The child outgrew his shoes quickly. |
| Outrun | Outran | Outrun | The athlete outran all the others in the race. |
| Outsell | Outsold | Outsold | The book outsold all other titles this month. |
| Outshine | Outshone | Outshone | Her performance outshone everyone else’s. |
| Outthink | Outthought | Outthought | He outthought his opponent during the debate. |
| Outwear | Outwore | Outworn | The shoes outwore all the others he had. |
Phrasal Verbs Starting With O
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Opt out | To choose not to participate | She opted out of the meeting. |
| Opt in | To choose to participate | He opted in for the extra session. |
| Open up | To talk freely or make accessible | He opened up about his feelings. |
| Own up | To admit or confess | She owned up to breaking the vase. |
| Order in | To have food delivered | They ordered in pizza for dinner. |
| Offer up | To present or give something | He offered up his suggestion during the meeting. |
| Open out | To unfold or expand | The field opened out into a wide meadow. |
| Open on | To face or lead to | The window opens on the garden. |
| Open for | To be available | The library opens for visitors at 9 a.m. |
| Open to | To be receptive or accessible | She is open to new ideas. |
| Open with | To begin with something | He opened with a smile and greeting. |
| Order out | To order food to be delivered | They ordered out Chinese food. |
| Open a door | To create an opportunity | This project opened a door for her career. |
| Open about | To talk honestly | She opened about her experience. |
| Open onto | To lead directly to a place | The balcony opens onto the garden. |
| Open for business | To start serving customers | The shop opened for business at 8 a.m. |
| Own over | To have legal possession | He owns over three properties in the city. |
| Open after | To start operating after a period | The cafe opened after renovations. |
| Open into | To lead into | The corridor opens into the main hall. |
Unique Verbs Starting With O
| Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Obfuscate | To make something unclear or confusing | The politician obfuscated the facts to avoid criticism. |
| Obviate | To prevent or eliminate a problem | The new system obviates the need for manual work. |
| Ossify | To become rigid or fixed | His opinions ossified over time, refusing to change. |
| Ogle | To stare at someone in a way that shows strong interest | He ogled the artwork in the gallery. |
| Oscillate | To move back and forth | The fan oscillates to cool the entire room. |
| Overwhelm | To overpower or give too much to handle | The team was overwhelmed by the sudden workload. |
| Overawe | To impress someone greatly | The speaker overawed the audience with her knowledge. |
| Outstrip | To surpass or exceed | The company outstripped its competitors in sales. |
| Outwit | To cleverly defeat or trick someone | She outwitted her opponent in the debate. |
| Obliterate | To completely destroy | The storm obliterated the small coastal town. |
| Overindulge | To allow oneself too much | He overindulged in sweets during the festival. |
| Overextend | To take on too much | She overextended herself by agreeing to too many projects. |
| Overshadow | To appear more important than something else | His achievements overshadowed his earlier mistakes. |
| Overhaul | To completely renovate or repair | The team overhauled the old software system. |
| Outmaneuver | To outsmart or defeat by strategy | The player outmaneuvered his opponents on the chessboard. |
Popular Verbs That Start with O
| Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Observe | To notice or pay attention to | She carefully observed the students during the exam. |
| Offer | To present or give something | He offered his help to the new colleague. |
| Open | To make accessible or available | She opened the store at 9 a.m. |
| Overcome | To successfully deal with a problem or difficulty | He overcame his fear of heights. |
| Organize | To arrange or structure systematically | They organized the files by date. |
| Optimize | To make as effective or functional as possible | We need to optimize our workflow. |
| Outperform | To do better than others | The team outperformed their competitors. |
| Outshine | To be noticeably better than others | Her performance outshone everyone else’s. |
| Overwhelm | To overpower or affect strongly | The sudden news overwhelmed him with emotion. |
| Oversee | To supervise or manage | She oversees all operations in the office. |
| Overachieve | To perform better than expected | He overachieved in his exams through hard work. |
| Outdo | To do better than | She always outdoes herself in every project. |
| Obliterate | To destroy completely | The storm obliterated the small village. |
FAQs About Verbs That Start With O
A verb that starts with O is a word that shows an action, occurrence, or state and begins with the letter O. Examples include observe, offer, open, overcome, and organize.
Sure! Examples include:
• She organizes her workspace daily.
• We offer help to our neighbors.
• He overcomes challenges with patience.
Yes, some are regular (like open → opened) and others are irregular (like overcome → overcame → overcome).
Conclusion
Verbs that start with O are versatile and can add clarity, strength, and variety to your writing and speaking. From common actions like open and offer to impactful verbs like overcome and outshine, learning and using these verbs can help you communicate more effectively. Explore the lists, practice using them in sentences, and watch your vocabulary grow!
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