ACTION, in Commerce, is a term used abroad for a certain part or share of a public company's capital stock. Thus, if a company has 400,000 livres capital stock, this may be divided into 400 actions, each consisting of 1000 livres. Hence a man is said to have two, four, &c. actions, according as he has the property of two, four, &c. 1000 livres capital stock. The transferring of actions abroad is performed much in the same manner as stocks are with us. See STOCKS.