Verbs That Start With M | Definitions & Examples
Verbs that start with M include everyday actions like “make,” “meet,” and “move,” alongside less common verbs such as “mollify,” “monopolize,” and “maladapt.” Organized by use, the lists below help writers, students, and word-game players find the right verb quickly.
20 common verbs starting with M
Below are some of the most frequently used verbs that start with the letter M. These verbs appear often in everyday speech and writing, making them useful across a wide range of contexts.
- Mail: To send a letter or package through a postal service. “She mailed the documents yesterday.”
- Maintain: To keep something in a particular state or condition. “They maintain high standards.”
- Make: To create or produce something. “She makes her own bread.”
- Manage: To control or organize something. “He manages a small team.”
- Mark: To make a visible impression or symbol. “Please mark your answers clearly.”
- Marry: To become someone’s wife or husband. “They decided to marry in June.”
- Mean: To intend or signify. “What does this word mean?”
- Meet: To come together with someone. “We’ll meet after work.”
Melt: To change from a solid to a liquid due to heat. “The ice began to melt.” - Mend: To repair or fix something. “He mended the broken fence.”
- Mention: To refer to something briefly. “She mentioned the deadline in her email.”
- Mingle: To move around and interact socially with others. “Guests mingled at the party before dinner.”
- Miss: To fail to reach or attend. “I missed the bus this morning.”
- Mistake: To understand or do something incorrectly. “She mistook the directions and got lost.”
- Mix: To combine two or more substances. “Mix the flour and sugar together.”
- Monitor: To watch or check regularly. “We monitor the patient’s vital signs.”
- Motivate: To provide a reason or incentive to act. “Good teachers motivate their students.”
- Move: To change position or location. “They moved the table closer to the window.”
- Munch: To chew something steadily or noisily. “He munched on an apple during the break.”
- Mutter: To speak quietly and unclearly, often in complaint. “She muttered under her breath.”
Action verbs that start with M
Action verbs describe physical or mental activities, actions performed by the subject of a sentence. Here are some M verbs to bring movement and energy to your writing:
- Maneuver: To move skillfully or carefully, especially in a difficult situation. “The driver maneuvered through heavy traffic.”
- March: To walk with regular, steady steps, often as part of a group. “The soldiers marched through the city streets.”
- Measure: To determine the size, amount, or degree of something. “She measured the ingredients carefully.”
- Migrate: To move from one place to another, often seasonally or for a specific purpose. “Many birds migrate south for the winter.”
- Minimize: To reduce something to the smallest possible amount or degree. “They tried to minimize risks during the project.”
- Mix: To combine substances or elements thoroughly. “He mixed paint colors to get the right shade.”
- Mobilize: To organize or prepare people or resources for action. “The community mobilized to clean up the park.”
- Mount: To get onto something, or to increase gradually. “He mounted the horse without hesitation.”
- Move: To change place or position. “She moved the chair closer to the window.”
- Mow: To cut grass or crops with a tool or machine. “They mow the lawn every weekend.”
- Multiply: To increase in number or amount, often rapidly. “Rabbits multiply quickly in ideal conditions.”
- Multitask: To perform more than one task at the same time. “Many people multitask while working from home.”
Positive verbs that start with M
Positive verbs express constructive, encouraging, or helpful actions. They are especially useful when writing about growth, leadership, learning, or positive change.
- Magnify: To make something appear larger or more important. “The microscope magnifies tiny details.”
- Manage: To handle a task or responsibility with skill and care. “She manages her time efficiently.”
- Marvel: To feel wonder or admiration. “Visitors marveled at the beauty of the landscape.”
- Maximize: To make the most of something. “They worked to maximize the impact of the campaign.”
- Meditate: To engage in focused thought or reflection. “He meditates daily to reduce stress.”
- Mend: To repair, improve, or restore something. “The team worked to mend strained relationships.”
- Mentor: To guide or advise someone in their personal or professional development. “She mentors junior writers at the company.”
- Mesmerize: To capture someone’s complete attention. “The performer mesmerized the audience.”
- Mobilize: To encourage people or resources to take action. “Volunteers mobilized quickly after the announcement.”
- Model: To demonstrate behavior or qualities others can follow. “Leaders should model integrity.”
- Motivate: To provide a reason or incentive to act. “Good teachers motivate their students.”
Negative verbs that start with M
Negative verbs often highlight conflict, tension, or setbacks. They describe actions that can cause harm, misunderstanding, imbalance, or emotional distress—making them useful in creative writing, persuasive arguments, and narratives that explore challenges.
- Maladapt: To adjust poorly or unsuitably to conditions. “Some species maladapt to rapidly changing environments.”
- Malign: To speak about someone in a harmful or false way. “She was maligned by her colleagues.”
- Manipulate: To control or influence someone unfairly or dishonestly. “He manipulated the situation to his advantage.”
- Meddle: To interfere in matters that are not one’s concern. “She meddled in their private affairs.”
- Miscalculate: To make an error in judgment or calculation. “They miscalculated the budget.”
- Misdirect: To guide someone in the wrong direction. “The instructions misdirected the team.”
- Misinterpret: To understand or explain something incorrectly. “The data was misinterpreted in the study.”
- Mislead: To cause someone to believe something that is not true. “The advertisement misled consumers about the product.”
- Misinform: To give false or inaccurate information. “The report misinformed the public about the risks.”
- Misuse: To use something in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose. “The equipment was misused, causing damage.”
- Mock: To ridicule or make fun of someone. “They mocked her accent.”
- Monopolize: To take exclusive control over something, often unfairly. “The company monopolized the local market.”
- Mope: To be sad, gloomy, or listless. “He moped around the house all afternoon.”
- Mourn: To feel or show deep sadness, especially after a loss. “The community mourned the passing of their leader.”
- mis- means “wrong” or “incorrect,” indicating an action done improperly (e.g., misapprehend, miscast, misjudge).
- mal- means “bad” or “evil,” often signaling harmful or faulty actions (e.g., maladapt, malign, malfunction).
Knowing this helps identify verbs that express error, harm, or failure.
Advanced and less common verbs starting with M
These M verbs are less frequently used but add precision and sophistication to your writing.
- Malign: To speak about someone in a harmful or false way. “She was maligned by her political opponents.”
- Man: To operate or be in charge of something. “Volunteers manned the information desk all day.”
- Marginalize: To treat someone or something as unimportant or insignificant. “The report marginalized the concerns of rural communities.”
- Manufacture: To produce goods on a large scale, usually using machines. “The company manufactures car parts.”
- Manifest: To show or display something clearly. “Her anxiety manifested in physical symptoms.”
- Mar: To damage or spoil the appearance of something. “A single scratch marred the polished surface.”
- Metabolize: To break down substances in the body through chemical processes. “The liver metabolizes alcohol and other toxins.”
- Metamorphose: To transform completely in form or nature. “The caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly.”
- Micromanage: To control every small detail of a task or project. “The supervisor tends to micromanage every aspect of the work.”
- Mollify: To soothe or calm someone’s anger or anxiety. “The manager tried to mollify the upset customer.”
- Monopolize: To take exclusive control over something, often unfairly. “The company monopolizes the local market.”
- Mortify: To cause someone to feel extremely embarrassed or ashamed. “His mistake during the presentation mortified him.”
- Muster: To gather or summon something, especially strength or courage. “She mustered the courage to speak in front of the crowd.”
- Mesmerize: To capture someone’s complete attention, often in a hypnotic way. “The magician mesmerized the audience with his performance.”
- Mitigate: To make something less severe or harmful. “They took steps to mitigate the environmental damage.”
- Mystify: To confuse or puzzle someone deeply. “The unexpected results mystified the researchers.”
- Meander: To follow a winding course or wander aimlessly. “The river meanders through the valley.”
- Mulch: To cover soil with organic material to protect it and improve fertility. “Gardeners mulch around plants to retain moisture.”
- Manage vs. Manipulate: “Manage” implies competent, fair control; “manipulate” suggests unfair or hidden influence.
- Mend vs. Mitigate: “Mend” means to fix or repair fully; “mitigate” means to lessen or reduce severity without fully fixing.
- Mediate vs. Moderate: “Mediate” means to intervene between disputing parties to help reach an agreement; “moderate” means to make less extreme or to preside over a discussion without taking sides.
- Mobilize vs. Maneuver: “Mobilize” involves organizing people or resources for action; “maneuver” is about skillful, often strategic movement or handling.
- Maximize vs. Magnify: “Maximize” means to make the most of something; “magnify” means to make something appear larger or more important.
The complete list of verbs starting with M
This alphabetical list covers all verbs beginning with M featured in this article for easy reference.
| 1. Maladapt | 22. Mention | 43. Mock |
| 2. Malign | 23. Mentor | 44. Model |
| 3. Man | 24. Mesmerize | 45. Mollify |
| 4. Manage | 25. Metabolize | 46. Monitor |
| 5. Maneuver | 26. Metamorphose | 47. Monopolize |
| 6. Manipulate | 27. Micromanage | 48. Mope |
| 7. Manufacture | 28. Migrate | 49. Mortify |
| 8. Mar | 29. Minimize | 50. Motivate |
| 9. March | 30. Mingle | 51. Mount |
| 10. Marginalize | 31. Miscalculate | 52. Mourn |
| 11. Mark | 32. Misdirect | 53. Move |
| 12. Marry | 33. Misinform | 54. Mow |
| 13. Marvel | 34. Misinterpret | 55. Mulch |
| 14. Maximize | 35. Mislead | 56. Multitask |
| 15. Mean | 36. Miss | 57. Multiply |
| 16. Meander | 37. Mistake | 58. Munch |
| 17. Measure | 38. Misuse | 59. Muster |
| 18. Meddle | 39. Mitigate | 60. Mutter |
| 19. Mediate | 40. Mix | 61. Mystify |
| 20. Meditate | 41. Mobilize | |
| 21. Meet | 42. Mock |
Frequently asked questions about verbs that start with M
- What are some verbs that start with M?
-
Here are some verbs that start with M:
- Make
- Melt
- Mingle
- Magnify
- Manage
- Mend
- Measure
- Motivate
- Mesmerize
QuillBot’s free AI Chat can show you many more verbs that start with the letter M.
- What are some examples of 4-letter verbs starting with M?
-
Examples of 4-letter verbs starting with M include:
- Make
- Mark
- Meet
- Melt
- Miss
- Mock
- Move
If you want a broader list or need help finding verbs by length or letter, QuillBot’s AI Chat can give you tailored suggestions.
- What are some Spanish verbs that start with M?
-
Spanish has many verbs that start with M, covering a range of common actions and states. Here are a few examples:
- Mirar: to look or watch
- Mantener: to maintain or keep
- Medir: to measure
- Morir: to die
- Mover: to move
- Mostrar: to show
- Marchar: to march or leave
- Mantenerse: to stay or remain
If you want to explore more Spanish verbs or need quick translations and conjugations, try QuillBot’s AI translate tool.
- Are there auxiliary or helping verbs that start with M?
-
Yes, there are three auxiliary verbs (also called helping verbs) that start with M: may, might, and must. These are modal verbs that work alongside main verbs to express permission, possibility, or necessity.
- May expresses permission or possibility. Example: “You may leave early.” / “It may rain later.”
- Might expresses a weaker possibility or functions as the past tense form of may. Example: “She might come to the party.” / “He asked if he might borrow the car.”
- Must expresses strong obligation, necessity, or logical deduction. Example: “You must wear a seatbelt.” / “She must be tired after that long trip.”
If you need more verbs that start with M or any another letter, QuillBot’s AI Chat can show you more options.
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Nikolopoulou, K. (2026, February 04). Verbs That Start With M | Definitions & Examples. Quillbot. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://quillbot.com/blog/word-finder/verbs-that-start-with-m/
