This list covers 97 verbs that start with the letter “P”, running from “Pack” to “Puzzle”. Most describe everyday physical actions, like packing a bag, painting a fence, or pushing a door open, while others cover mental or social actions, such as pondering a question or persuading a friend. You’ll find them everywhere, from casual conversation and storytelling to instructions, news reports, and workplace emails.
Verbs are words that express an action, occurrence, or state of being, and they form the backbone of every sentence you write or speak. English has thousands of them, and many “P” verbs trace back to Latin roots, which is why words like “persuade” and “produce” share a family resemblance despite their different meanings today. Some, like “put” and “pay”, stay the same in the past tense, a quirky exception that trips up even native speakers.
Below you’ll find the table with the word, tense forms, definition, example usage, and description for each verb.
Word: the base form of the verb, listed alphabetically so you can scan the list or jump straight to the one you’re looking for.
Tense Forms: shows you the past, past participle, and present participle, so you know how to use the verb correctly in any sentence.
Definition: a short, clear explanation of what the verb means, giving you the core sense without extra clutter.
Example Usage: a real sentence showing the verb in action, so you can see exactly how it fits into everyday speech or writing.
Description: extra context on how and where the verb is typically used, including any secondary meanings or interesting nuances worth knowing.
Verbs
| Word | Tense Forms | Definition | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pack | packed / packed / packing | To put items into a container for storage or transport | She packed her suitcase for the trip. |
| Paddle | paddled / paddled / paddling | To move through water using a paddle or the hands and feet | They paddled the canoe across the lake. |
| Paint | painted / painted / painting | To apply color or a coating to a surface with a brush or roller | He painted the fence white over the weekend. |
| Pamper | pampered / pampered / pampering | To indulge someone with comfort and attention | She pampered herself with a spa day. |
| Panic | panicked / panicked / panicking | To feel or act with sudden uncontrollable fear | Don’t panic if the alarm goes off. |
| Park | parked / parked / parking | To stop and leave a vehicle in a particular place | He parked the car outside the store. |
| Part | parted / parted / parting | To divide or separate, or to leave someone’s company | The crowd parted to let the ambulance through. |
| Participate | participated / participated / participating | To take part in an activity or event | Everyone was encouraged to participate in the discussion. |
| Pass | passed / passed / passing | To move past, hand over, or succeed at something | She passed the ball to her teammate. |
| Paste | pasted / pasted / pasting | To stick something using paste or glue, or to insert copied text | He pasted the poster onto the wall. |
| Pat | patted / patted / patting | To tap gently with the flat of the hand | She patted the dog on the head. |
| Patch | patched / patched / patching | To mend or cover a hole with a piece of material | He patched the hole in his jeans. |
| Patrol | patrolled / patrolled / patrolling | To walk or travel around an area to check for trouble | Guards patrol the building at night. |
| Pause | paused / paused / pausing | To stop briefly before continuing | She paused to catch her breath. |
| Pave | paved / paved / paving | To cover a surface with a hard material like asphalt or stone | Workers paved the new road. |
| Pay | paid / paid / paying | To give money in exchange for goods or services | He paid for dinner with his card. |
| Peck | pecked / pecked / pecking | To strike or pick at something with a beak | The hen pecked at the seeds. |
| Peddle | peddled / peddled / peddling | To sell goods, especially by traveling around | He peddled trinkets at the market. |
| Peek | peeked / peeked / peeking | To look quickly and often secretly | She peeked through the curtains. |
| Peel | peeled / peeled / peeling | To remove the outer skin or covering of something | He peeled the orange before eating it. |
| Peep | peeped / peeped / peeping | To look quickly and often through a small opening | The child peeped around the corner. |
| Peer | peered / peered / peering | To look closely or with difficulty at something | She peered into the dark room. |
| Pelt | pelted / pelted / pelting | To throw things at someone repeatedly, or to rain heavily | Rain pelted the windows all night. |
| Perceive | perceived / perceived / perceiving | To become aware of something through the senses or mind | She perceived a change in his tone. |
| Perform | performed / performed / performing | To carry out an action or entertain an audience | The band performed live on stage. |
| Perish | perished / perished / perishing | To die, especially in a sudden or violent way | Many sailors perished in the storm. |
| Permit | permitted / permitted / permitting | To allow something to happen | The rules permit one guest per resident. |
| Persist | persisted / persisted / persisting | To continue firmly despite difficulty | She persisted with her studies despite setbacks. |
| Persuade | persuaded / persuaded / persuading | To convince someone to do or believe something | He persuaded her to join the team. |
| Phone | phoned / phoned / phoning | To call someone using a telephone | She phoned her mother that evening. |
| Photograph | photographed / photographed / photographing | To take a picture of someone or something | They photographed the sunset. |
| Pick | picked / picked / picking | To choose or to gather with the fingers | She picked the ripest apples. |
| Picture | pictured / pictured / picturing | To imagine or form a mental image of something | Picture yourself on a beach. |
| Pierce | pierced / pierced / piercing | To make a hole in something with a sharp object | The needle pierced the fabric easily. |
| Pile | piled / piled / piling | To place things in a heap | He piled the books on the desk. |
| Pilot | piloted / piloted / piloting | To fly or steer an aircraft, ship, or vehicle | She piloted the small plane over the mountains. |
| Pin | pinned / pinned / pinning | To fasten something with a pin, or hold firmly in place | She pinned the note to the board. |
| Pinch | pinched / pinched / pinching | To squeeze skin tightly between finger and thumb | She pinched his arm playfully. |
| Pinpoint | pinpointed / pinpointed / pinpointing | To identify something exactly | Doctors pinpointed the cause of the illness. |
| Pioneer | pioneered / pioneered / pioneering | To be among the first to develop or use something | She pioneered new techniques in surgery. |
| Place | placed / placed / placing | To put something in a particular position | He placed the vase on the table. |
| Plan | planned / planned / planning | To decide on and arrange in advance | They planned a trip to Italy. |
| Plant | planted / planted / planting | To put a seed or young plant into the ground to grow | She planted tomatoes in the garden. |
| Play | played / played / playing | To engage in an activity for enjoyment, or perform music | The kids played in the park. |
| Plead | pleaded (or pled) / pleaded (or pled) / pleading | To make an emotional appeal, or answer a criminal charge | He pleaded for another chance. |
| Please | pleased / pleased / pleasing | To give satisfaction or enjoyment to someone | The gift pleased her greatly. |
| Pledge | pledged / pledged / pledging | To solemnly promise to do something | He pledged to support the cause. |
| Plot | plotted / plotted / plotting | To secretly plan something, or to mark points on a graph | They plotted to surprise her on her birthday. |
| Pluck | plucked / plucked / plucking | To pull something out quickly, or to play a string instrument | She plucked the guitar strings gently. |
| Plug | plugged / plugged / plugging | To fill a hole, or to connect an electrical device | He plugged the lamp into the socket. |
| Plummet | plummeted / plummeted / plummeting | To fall or drop suddenly and steeply | Stock prices plummeted overnight. |
| Plunge | plunged / plunged / plunging | To jump or fall suddenly into something | He plunged into the cold pool. |
| Poison | poisoned / poisoned / poisoning | To harm or kill with a toxic substance | The chemical poisoned the river. |
| Poke | poked / poked / poking | To prod someone or something with a finger or object | She poked him to get his attention. |
| Polish | polished / polished / polishing | To make something smooth and shiny by rubbing | He polished his shoes before the interview. |
| Poll | polled / polled / polling | To ask people questions to gather opinions | Researchers polled voters before the election. |
| Ponder | pondered / pondered / pondering | To think about something carefully | She pondered the question for a while. |
| Pop | popped / popped / popping | To make a sudden sharp sound, or to burst | The balloon popped loudly. |
| Pose | posed / posed / posing | To assume a particular position, or present a problem | She posed for the camera. |
| Possess | possessed / possessed / possessing | To have or own something | She possesses great talent. |
| Post | posted / posted / posting | To send by mail, or share online | She posted the letter this morning. |
| Postpone | postponed / postponed / postponing | To delay an event to a later time | They postponed the meeting until Friday. |
| Pounce | pounced / pounced / pouncing | To spring or jump suddenly to attack or seize | The cat pounced on the toy mouse. |
| Pound | pounded / pounded / pounding | To hit something repeatedly and heavily | He pounded on the door. |
| Pour | poured / poured / pouring | To cause liquid to flow from a container | She poured the tea into cups. |
| Praise | praised / praised / praising | To express approval or admiration | The teacher praised her effort. |
| Pray | prayed / prayed / praying | To speak to a deity, or hope earnestly | They prayed for good weather. |
| Predict | predicted / predicted / predicting | To say what will happen in the future | Scientists predict a mild winter. |
| Prefer | preferred / preferred / preferring | To like one thing better than another | She prefers tea over coffee. |
| Prepare | prepared / prepared / preparing | To make ready for something | He prepared dinner for the guests. |
| Present | presented / presented / presenting | To give formally, or show something to an audience | She presented her findings to the board. |
| Preserve | preserved / preserved / preserving | To maintain something in its original state | They worked to preserve the old building. |
| Press | pressed / pressed / pressing | To apply steady force against something | He pressed the button firmly. |
| Pretend | pretended / pretended / pretending | To act as if something is true when it isn’t | The kids pretended to be pirates. |
| Prevent | prevented / prevented / preventing | To stop something from happening | The fence prevents animals from entering. |
| printed / printed / printing | To produce text or images on paper using a machine | She printed the report for the meeting. | |
| Proceed | proceeded / proceeded / proceeding | To continue with an action after a pause | Please proceed to the next step. |
| Process | processed / processed / processing | To handle or treat something through a series of steps | The factory processes thousands of orders daily. |
| Produce | produced / produced / producing | To make or manufacture something | The factory produces cars. |
| Program | programmed / programmed / programming | To write code to instruct a computer | She programmed the app in Python. |
| Progress | progressed / progressed / progressing | To move forward or develop over time | Her recovery progressed quickly. |
| Promise | promised / promised / promising | To commit to doing or not doing something | He promised to call her back. |
| Promote | promoted / promoted / promoting | To raise someone to a higher rank, or encourage support of something | She was promoted to manager. |
| Propose | proposed / proposed / proposing | To suggest an idea, or ask someone to marry | He proposed a new plan to the team. |
| Protect | protected / protected / protecting | To keep someone or something safe from harm | The helmet protects your head. |
| Prove | proved / proved (or proven) / proving | To demonstrate the truth of something | She proved her theory with data. |
| Provide | provided / provided / providing | To supply someone with something needed | The company provides health insurance. |
| Publish | published / published / publishing | To prepare and issue material for public distribution | The author published her first novel. |
| Pull | pulled / pulled / pulling | To apply force to bring something toward oneself | He pulled the rope tightly. |
| Pump | pumped / pumped / pumping | To move liquid or gas using a mechanical device | They pumped water from the well. |
| Punch | punched / punched / punching | To hit forcefully with a closed fist | He punched the punching bag. |
| Punish | punished / punished / punishing | To impose a penalty for wrongdoing | The coach punished the team with extra laps. |
| Purchase | purchased / purchased / purchasing | To buy something | She purchased a new laptop. |
| Pursue | pursued / pursued / pursuing | To follow or chase in order to catch | The police pursued the suspect. |
| Push | pushed / pushed / pushing | To apply force to move something away | She pushed the door open. |
| Put | put / put / putting | To move something into a specific position | He put the keys on the table. |
| Puzzle | puzzled / puzzled / puzzling | To confuse or perplex someone | The riddle puzzled everyone in the room. |
Descriptions
Pack
A common verb describing the act of placing things into a bag, box, or other container, often in preparation for travel or storage.
Paddle
Describes propelling a small boat with a paddle, or swimming with gentle kicking motions, often associated with leisure and watersports.
Paint
One of the most everyday verbs in English, used for both artistic creation and practical home improvement tasks.
Pamper
Conveys treating someone, often oneself, with extra care and luxury, frequently used in wellness and self-care contexts.
Panic
Describes a sudden overwhelming feeling of fear or anxiety that often leads to irrational behavior.
Park
A driving-related verb used constantly in everyday conversation about vehicles and parking spaces.
Part
Can mean physically dividing something in two or, more commonly, saying goodbye and going separate ways.
Participate
A formal verb for joining in and taking an active role in something, often used in educational or organizational settings.
Pass
An extremely versatile verb with meanings ranging from movement and sports to exams and time.
Paste
Traditionally about gluing paper, this verb also now describes pasting digital text or images with a computer.
Pat
A small, gentle tapping gesture usually meant to show affection, comfort, or approval.
Patch
Refers to repairing something by covering a damaged area, used literally for fabric and figuratively for software fixes.
Patrol
Describes moving through an area regularly to keep watch, common in security, military, and law enforcement contexts.
Pause
A short, temporary stop in speech, motion, or activity before resuming.
Pave
Literally means laying a hard surface for walking or driving, and figuratively means preparing the way for something.
Pay
One of the most fundamental verbs in commerce, describing the exchange of money for something of value.
Peck
Describes the quick, repeated jabbing motion birds make with their beaks, and by extension a light, quick kiss.
Peddle
Refers to selling items in small quantities, often moving from place to place, sometimes with a mildly negative connotation.
Peek
Describes a brief, often furtive glance, usually to see something without being noticed.
Peel
Common kitchen verb for stripping away the outer layer of fruits, vegetables, or other coverings.
Peep
Similar to peek, it implies looking briefly and cautiously, often through a narrow gap.
Peer
Suggests straining to see something clearly, often due to poor lighting or distance.
Pelt
Describes a barrage of thrown objects or heavy, relentless rainfall.
Perceive
A more formal verb for noticing or understanding something, whether through sight, sound, or intuition.
Perform
Covers both completing a task and presenting entertainment, from surgery to music.
Perish
A somewhat literary or formal word for dying, often used in dramatic or historical contexts.
Permit
A formal verb meaning to give official or general consent.
Persist
Describes stubborn continuation of an action or belief, often in the face of obstacles.
Persuade
Describes using reasoning or argument to change someone’s mind or actions.
Phone
A simple, everyday verb for making a telephone call, common in casual conversation.
Photograph
Refers to the act of capturing an image with a camera.
Pick
A versatile verb covering selection, harvesting, and even lock-picking depending on context.
Picture
Describes visualizing something in the mind, or literally taking a photograph.
Pierce
Describes puncturing through a surface, used both literally for objects and figuratively for sounds or silence.
Pile
Refers to stacking or accumulating things into a heap, often haphazardly.
Pilot
Describes the act of operating and navigating a vehicle, especially aircraft, and figuratively testing something new.
Pin
Refers to securing something with a small pointed fastener, or figuratively immobilizing someone or something.
Pinch
Describes a small, sharp squeeze, and informally can also mean to steal something minor.
Pinpoint
Means locating or identifying something with great precision.
Pioneer
Describes leading the way in a new field or method, often used for innovators and early settlers.
Place
A neutral, common verb for positioning objects deliberately somewhere.
Plan
Describes thinking ahead and organizing steps toward a future goal.
Plant
Refers to placing seeds or seedlings in soil, and figuratively to firmly establishing an idea or object.
Play
One of the most fundamental verbs of childhood and leisure, also used for sports, games, and music.
Plead
Describes begging earnestly for something, or formally responding to a legal charge in court.
Please
Means to make someone happy or satisfied, and is also used as a polite request word.
Pledge
Describes making a formal, serious commitment or promise, often involving loyalty or donations.
Plot
Covers both scheming in secret and the mathematical act of charting data points.
Pluck
Describes a quick pulling motion, whether removing feathers, picking fruit, or playing strings.
Plug
Refers to blocking an opening or connecting a device to a power source or system.
Plummet
Describes a sharp, rapid decline, used for both physical falls and figurative drops like prices or morale.
Plunge
Describes a sudden, often dramatic dive or drop into water, danger, or a difficult situation.
Poison
Refers to contaminating with something toxic, either literally harming health or figuratively corrupting a relationship or situation.
Poke
A quick, sharp jabbing motion, often used to get someone’s attention or investigate something.
Polish
Describes rubbing a surface to give it shine, and figuratively refining and improving something.
Poll
Refers to surveying people’s opinions, commonly used in politics and market research.
Ponder
A thoughtful, reflective verb describing deep consideration of an idea or decision.
Pop
Describes a quick bursting sound or action, and informally means to appear or go somewhere briefly.
Pose
Refers to positioning oneself for a photo or portrait, or figuratively presenting a question or challenge.
Possess
A formal verb for owning or having a quality, object, or ability.
Post
Traditionally about mailing items, now widely used for sharing content on social media.
Postpone
Means rescheduling something to happen later than originally planned.
Pounce
Describes a sudden, swift leap to grab or attack something, often used for predators or opportunistic actions.
Pound
Describes forceful, repeated striking, whether of a fist on a door or a heart racing with excitement.
Pour
A common kitchen and weather verb, used for liquids flowing steadily, including heavy rain.
Praise
Means to express warm approval or admiration for someone’s actions or qualities.
Pray
Describes communicating with a higher power in a religious context, or informally hoping intensely for something.
Predict
Means to forecast or foretell a future event based on evidence or intuition.
Prefer
Expresses a comparative preference between two or more options.
Prepare
A broad verb for getting something or someone ready in advance of an event or task.
Present
Covers both formally giving a gift or award and displaying information to an audience.
Preserve
Means protecting something from damage, decay, or change, whether a building, tradition, or food.
Press
Describes pushing on something with force, and also refers to the news media and printing.
Pretend
Describes acting out a fiction, whether in play or to deceive someone.
Prevent
Means to keep an event or action from occurring, often through precaution.
Print
Refers to reproducing text or images mechanically, foundational to publishing and everyday office work.
Proceed
A formal way of saying to continue or move forward with an activity.
Process
Describes systematically handling data, materials, or tasks through an established procedure.
Produce
A broad verb for creating or generating something, from goods to films to crops.
Program
Refers to writing instructions for a computer to follow, central to modern software development.
Progress
Describes advancing or improving steadily toward a goal.
Promise
Means to give one’s word that something will or will not happen.
Promote
Covers advancing someone’s career and encouraging awareness or sales of a product or cause.
Propose
Describes putting forward an idea for consideration, or formally asking someone to marry.
Protect
A fundamental verb for guarding against danger, damage, or loss.
Prove
Means to establish something as true through evidence or argument.
Provide
Describes giving or supplying something necessary or useful to someone.
Publish
Refers to making written or printed material available to the public, whether in books, articles, or online.
Pull
A basic physical verb describing movement toward the person exerting force, opposite of push.
Pump
Describes moving fluids using pressure, and informally means to energize or inflate.
Punch
Describes striking with a closed fist, also used for machines that puncture holes.
Punish
Means to inflict a penalty or consequence for bad behavior or a rule violation.
Purchase
A more formal synonym for buying goods or services.
Pursue
Describes chasing after someone or something, or figuratively working toward a goal like a career.
Push
A basic physical verb for exerting force to move something away from oneself.
Put
One of the most common and versatile verbs in English, used to describe placing or positioning almost anything.
Puzzle
Describes causing confusion or bewilderment, often related to something difficult to understand or solve.