action stations

English

Noun

action stations pl (plural only)

1. (military, British, Canada) The positions or activity assumed by the crew of a warship immediately in advance of combat or other hostile action; general quarters; also, the signal given to indicate such imminent action.
2. (figuratively) Any general state of intense anticipatory activity.

Further reading

• “action stations”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “action stations”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “action stations” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.