This list brings together 100 verbs that start with the letter E, running from “Eat” all the way to “Explain.” These words cover everyday actions, from simple physical tasks like eating and erasing to more abstract ideas like enlightening and empowering. You’ll find verbs used constantly in conversation, writing, school, and work, since they describe the actions people take and the changes things go through every day.
Verbs are words that express an action, occurrence, or state of being, and they form the backbone of every sentence you write or speak. Without a verb, a sentence has no life, since it can’t tell you what’s happening. English has borrowed and shaped many of these words over centuries, and quite a few, like “enchant” and “embark,” trace back to old French and Latin roots tied to magic and sea travel.
Below you’ll find the table with Word, Tense Forms, Definition, Example Usage, and Description.
Word: the verb itself, listed alphabetically so you can quickly scan and find the exact one you’re looking for.
Tense Forms: the past tense, past participle, and present participle of the verb, helpful when you’re writing sentences and need the correct grammatical form.
Definition: a short, clear explanation of what the verb means, so you understand exactly how and when to use it.
Example Usage: a real sentence showing the verb in action, giving you a practical sense of how it fits naturally into speech or writing.
Description: a deeper look at the verb’s meaning and everyday use, giving you extra context beyond the basic definition.
Verbs
| Word | Tense Forms | Definition | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eat | ate, eaten, eating | To put food in the mouth and swallow it | She ate breakfast before work. |
| Earn | earned, earned, earning | To gain money or reward through work or merit | He earns a good salary as an engineer. |
| Ease | eased, eased, easing | To make something less severe or difficult | The medicine eased her headache. |
| Echo | echoed, echoed, echoing | To repeat a sound or reflect an idea | His voice echoed through the canyon. |
| Edit | edited, edited, editing | To revise or correct written or recorded material | She edited the article before publishing. |
| Educate | educated, educated, educating | To teach or provide knowledge to someone | Schools educate children in many subjects. |
| Eject | ejected, ejected, ejecting | To forcefully expel or remove something | The pilot ejected from the failing jet. |
| Elaborate | elaborated, elaborated, elaborating | To add more detail or explanation | Could you elaborate on your plan? |
| Elapse | elapsed, elapsed, elapsing | For time to pass gradually | Ten years elapsed before they met again. |
| Elect | elected, elected, electing | To choose someone by vote | Citizens elect their representatives every four years. |
| Elevate | elevated, elevated, elevating | To raise something to a higher position or level | The doctor told him to elevate his leg. |
| Eliminate | eliminated, eliminated, eliminating | To remove or get rid of something completely | The team was eliminated in the semifinals. |
| Elude | eluded, eluded, eluding | To skillfully avoid or escape from someone or something | The suspect eluded police for weeks. |
| emailed, emailed, emailing | To send a message electronically | Please email me the report today. | |
| Embark | embarked, embarked, embarking | To begin a journey or new venture | They embarked on a trip around the world. |
| Embarrass | embarrassed, embarrassed, embarrassing | To cause someone to feel awkward or ashamed | His joke embarrassed her in front of everyone. |
| Embed | embedded, embedded, embedding | To fix something firmly into a surrounding mass | The reporter was embedded with the troops. |
| Embrace | embraced, embraced, embracing | To hug someone, or to accept something willingly | She embraced the new challenge with enthusiasm. |
| Emerge | emerged, emerged, emerging | To come out from a hidden or enclosed place | The butterfly emerged from its cocoon. |
| Emigrate | emigrated, emigrated, emigrating | To leave one’s country to live in another | Her grandparents emigrated from Italy in 1950. |
| Emit | emitted, emitted, emitting | To send out light, sound, gas, or energy | The furnace emits a lot of heat. |
| Emphasize | emphasized, emphasized, emphasizing | To give special importance to something | The coach emphasized teamwork all season. |
| Employ | employed, employed, employing | To hire someone for work, or to use a method | The factory employs two hundred workers. |
| Empower | empowered, empowered, empowering | To give someone the authority or confidence to act | The program empowers young women to lead. |
| Empty | emptied, emptied, emptying | To remove all contents from something | He emptied the trash can. |
| Emulate | emulated, emulated, emulating | To try to match or imitate someone’s success | Young players often emulate their sports heroes. |
| Enable | enabled, enabled, enabling | To make something possible or give someone the means to do it | New technology enabled faster communication. |
| Enact | enacted, enacted, enacting | To make a bill or plan into law, or to perform an action | Congress enacted the new tax law. |
| Enchant | enchanted, enchanted, enchanting | To fill someone with great delight, or to cast a magic spell | The music enchanted the entire audience. |
| Enclose | enclosed, enclosed, enclosing | To surround something on all sides, or to include with a letter | A fence encloses the garden. |
| Encode | encoded, encoded, encoding | To convert information into a coded form | The message was encoded for security. |
| Encounter | encountered, encountered, encountering | To unexpectedly meet or experience something | We encountered a bear on the trail. |
| Encourage | encouraged, encouraged, encouraging | To give someone support or confidence | Her teacher encouraged her to keep writing. |
| End | ended, ended, ending | To bring something to its final point | The movie ended with a surprise twist. |
| Endanger | endangered, endangered, endangering | To put someone or something at risk of harm | Pollution endangers many marine species. |
| Endorse | endorsed, endorsed, endorsing | To publicly support or recommend something | The celebrity endorsed the new sneaker brand. |
| Endure | endured, endured, enduring | To suffer through something difficult without giving up | The climbers endured harsh, freezing winds. |
| Energize | energized, energized, energizing | To give vigor, activity, or enthusiasm to someone | The crowd’s cheers energized the runners. |
| Enforce | enforced, enforced, enforcing | To compel observance of a law or rule | Police enforce traffic laws daily. |
| Engage | engaged, engaged, engaging | To participate in or attract someone’s interest | The speaker engaged the audience with humor. |
| Engrave | engraved, engraved, engraving | To cut a design or text into a hard surface | His initials were engraved on the ring. |
| Engulf | engulfed, engulfed, engulfing | To completely surround and cover something | Flames engulfed the old warehouse. |
| Enhance | enhanced, enhanced, enhancing | To improve the quality or value of something | Good lighting can enhance a photo. |
| Enjoy | enjoyed, enjoyed, enjoying | To take pleasure in something | They enjoyed a quiet walk on the beach. |
| Enlarge | enlarged, enlarged, enlarging | To make something bigger | She enlarged the photo for the frame. |
| Enlighten | enlightened, enlightened, enlightening | To give someone greater knowledge or understanding | The lecture enlightened students about the topic. |
| Enlist | enlisted, enlisted, enlisting | To join the armed forces, or to gain the support of someone | He enlisted in the navy at eighteen. |
| Enrage | enraged, enraged, enraging | To make someone extremely angry | The unfair decision enraged the fans. |
| Enrich | enriched, enriched, enriching | To improve the quality or value of something | Travel enriches one’s understanding of the world. |
| Enroll | enrolled, enrolled, enrolling | To officially register for a course or program | She enrolled in a coding class. |
| Ensure | ensured, ensured, ensuring | To make certain that something will happen | Please ensure the doors are locked. |
| Entangle | entangled, entangled, entangling | To twist together in a confused mass, or to involve someone in a difficult situation | The kite string got entangled in the tree. |
| Enter | entered, entered, entering | To come or go into a place | She entered the room quietly. |
| Entertain | entertained, entertained, entertaining | To provide amusement or enjoyment for someone | The clown entertained the children at the party. |
| Entice | enticed, enticed, enticing | To attract someone by offering something appealing | The smell of fresh bread enticed customers inside. |
| Entitle | entitled, entitled, entitling | To give someone a right to something, or to give a title to a work | The ticket entitles you to one free drink. |
| Entrust | entrusted, entrusted, entrusting | To give someone responsibility for a task or duty | They entrusted her with the company’s finances. |
| Enumerate | enumerated, enumerated, enumerating | To list items one by one | The report enumerates the project’s key risks. |
| Envision | envisioned, envisioned, envisioning | To imagine something as a future possibility | She envisions a career in medicine. |
| Envy | envied, envied, envying | To feel discontented longing for someone else’s advantages | He envied his friend’s new car. |
| Equal | equaled, equaled, equaling | To be the same in amount, value, or status as something else | Her score equaled the previous record. |
| Equip | equipped, equipped, equipping | To supply someone with the necessary items for a task | The gym is equipped with modern machines. |
| Eradicate | eradicated, eradicated, eradicating | To completely destroy or eliminate something | Vaccines helped eradicate smallpox worldwide. |
| Erase | erased, erased, erasing | To remove marks or data completely | She erased the mistake with a pencil eraser. |
| Erect | erected, erected, erecting | To build or set something upright | Workers erected a new bridge over the river. |
| Erupt | erupted, erupted, erupting | To burst out suddenly and violently | The volcano erupted after years of silence. |
| Escalate | escalated, escalated, escalating | To increase in intensity or seriousness | The dispute escalated into a full argument. |
| Escape | escaped, escaped, escaping | To break free from confinement or danger | The prisoner escaped through a tunnel. |
| Escort | escorted, escorted, escorting | To accompany someone as a guide or guard | Security escorted the guests to their seats. |
| Establish | established, established, establishing | To set something up on a firm and permanent basis | They established a new charity last year. |
| Estimate | estimated, estimated, estimating | To roughly calculate a value, amount, or extent | He estimated the cost of repairs at $500. |
| Evacuate | evacuated, evacuated, evacuating | To remove people from a dangerous place to safety | Residents were evacuated before the storm hit. |
| Evade | evaded, evaded, evading | To avoid or escape something by cleverness | He evaded the question skillfully. |
| Evaluate | evaluated, evaluated, evaluating | To assess the value or quality of something | Teachers evaluate student progress each term. |
| Evaporate | evaporated, evaporated, evaporating | To turn from liquid into vapor | The morning dew evaporated in the sun. |
| Evict | evicted, evicted, evicting | To legally remove someone from a property | The landlord evicted the tenants for unpaid rent. |
| Evoke | evoked, evoked, evoking | To bring a feeling, memory, or image to mind | The old song evoked happy memories. |
| Evolve | evolved, evolved, evolving | To develop gradually over time | The species evolved over millions of years. |
| Exaggerate | exaggerated, exaggerated, exaggerating | To represent something as larger or better than it really is | He exaggerated the size of the fish he caught. |
| Examine | examined, examined, examining | To inspect something in detail | The doctor examined the patient carefully. |
| Exceed | exceeded, exceeded, exceeding | To go beyond a limit or expectation | Sales exceeded expectations this quarter. |
| Excel | excelled, excelled, excelling | To be exceptionally good at something | She excels in mathematics and science. |
| Exchange | exchanged, exchanged, exchanging | To give something and receive something in return | They exchanged gifts at the holiday party. |
| Excite | excited, excited, exciting | To cause strong feelings of enthusiasm | The news excited the whole team. |
| Exclaim | exclaimed, exclaimed, exclaiming | To cry out suddenly in surprise or strong emotion | “Watch out!” she exclaimed. |
| Exclude | excluded, excluded, excluding | To deliberately leave someone or something out | The price excludes tax and shipping. |
| Excuse | excused, excused, excusing | To forgive a minor fault, or to release someone from a duty | Please excuse my tardiness this morning. |
| Execute | executed, executed, executing | To carry out or perform a plan or task | The team executed the strategy perfectly. |
| Exhale | exhaled, exhaled, exhaling | To breathe out air from the lungs | She exhaled slowly to calm her nerves. |
| Exhaust | exhausted, exhausted, exhausting | To tire someone out completely, or to use up a supply | The long hike exhausted the hikers. |
| Exhibit | exhibited, exhibited, exhibiting | To publicly display something, or to show a quality | The museum exhibits ancient artifacts. |
| Exist | existed, existed, existing | To have actual being or life | Life exists in even the harshest environments. |
| Exit | exited, exited, exiting | To leave a place | The actors exited the stage after the bow. |
| Expand | expanded, expanded, expanding | To increase in size, volume, or scope | The company expanded into new markets. |
| Expect | expected, expected, expecting | To believe that something will happen | We expect rain later this evening. |
| Expel | expelled, expelled, expelling | To force someone or something out, often as punishment | The student was expelled for cheating. |
| Experience | experienced, experienced, experiencing | To encounter or undergo an event or feeling | They experienced heavy traffic on the drive home. |
| Experiment | experimented, experimented, experimenting | To try new methods or ideas to test them | Scientists experimented with new materials. |
| Expire | expired, expired, expiring | To come to an end, or for a period of validity to run out | Her passport expires next month. |
| Explain | explained, explained, explaining | To make something clear by giving details | The teacher explained the math problem. |