I’m talking about this odd need for advertisers to verb nouns. To do what now? You ask. To verb nouns. For example, no one out-pizzas the Hut. This little mind-numbing bit of torture is called verbing—the act of taking an innocent noun, ripping it from its regular, universally recognized part of speech, and forcing it, like a cat into a carrying case, into verb status.
Vancouver is a city. It’s also a proper noun. So, technically, one cannot Vancouver.
Pizza is a delicious Italian invention with dough, tomatoes, and various meats and cheeses. It can also be made with an English muffin—English muffin pizza—if you’re so inclined. Pizza is also a noun.
What am I driving at with this grammar lesson, you might be asking? Well, I’ll tell ya. I’m talking about this odd need for advertisers to verb nouns. To do what now? You ask. To verb nouns. For example, no one out-pizzas the Hut. This little mind-numbing bit of torture is called verbing—the act of taking an innocent noun, ripping it from its regular, universally recognized part of speech, and forcing it, like a cat into a carrying case, into verb status.
Now, it’s only fair to say that there are indeed words in the English language that are both nouns and verbs; here’s a short example:
- Dust. Dust can be a noun: "There is dust all over Grandpa; maybe he’s dead.” And it can be a verb: “Please dust Grandpa; he’s dead, and he’s dusty.”
- Dump. Dump can be a noun: “You live in this dump?” or a verb: “Hey, Architectural Digest, shut up with the comments and dump her body over the balcony.”
- Silence. Silence can be a noun: “I said time and time again, I need silence in this room.” And it can be a verb: “I swear to all that is holy and powerful, if I hear one more peep out of you kids, I will silence you with the corner of my desk.”
See? Simple. A noun can be a verb, but forcing a noun out of its native place and shipping it off to verb land is like some cruel grammatical diaspora. It needs to stop.
And yet, advertisers persist. Let’s push the ridiculousness further, shall we?
- McDonald’s: “We’re loving it.” (You sure? Because I’m not loving this sentence.)
- Google: “Just Google it.” (What if I Bing it? Or Yahoo it? Why are we noun-prejudiced?)
- Amazon: “Prime it to your door.” (Prime is now a verb? What’s next, "Netflix it and chill"? Oh wait…)
- Dunkin’ Donuts: “America runs on Dunkin’.” (How? Did we all collectively decide to Dunkin’ our way across the nation?)
- Zoom: “Let’s Zoom later!” (Back in the day, zoom was just something cars did—now it’s a verb for lousy lighting and awkward screen freezes.)
You see where I’m going with this. But to understand how we got here, let’s take a quick look at when and why this all started.
When Did Verbing Start?
Verbing isn’t new. Shakespeare, that cunning linguist, did it all the time. “Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle,” he wrote in Richard II. Shakespeare played fast and loose with language, and we gave him a pass because, well, he’s Shakespeare. But what started as an occasional flourish of creativity has turned into a full-blown linguistic epidemic.
The modern obsession with verbing nouns arguably gained steam in the late 20th century, coinciding with the rise of snappy advertising slogans. By the 1990s, brands were desperate to stand out, and turning their product names into actions became a surefire way to stick in consumers' minds. The internet era only made things worse. Suddenly, everything had to be hashtag-friendly and clickable, and verbs are inherently actionable. Thus, “Google it” became the gold standard of advertising success.
Why Did Verbing Take Over?
There’s a psychological reason behind this madness. Verbs suggest action. They’re dynamic, commanding, and urgent. Advertising thrives on action because action means sales. By verbing their brands, companies create a sense of immediacy and relevance. You’re not just using Google; you’re Googling. You’re not just eating pizza; you’re… well, no one’s really “out-pizzaing” the Hut, but you get the idea.
Action-oriented language doesn’t just compel—it sticks. Studies in marketing and psychology show that people are more likely to remember verbs because they inspire movement, even if it’s metaphorical. Verbs create a sense of urgency, a subtle push to "do something." And advertisers, being the opportunistic creatures they are, pounce on that.
But it’s not just about memory. Verbing also plays on our innate desire to belong. It turns everyday activities into branded lifestyles. If you’re "Zooming," you’re not just using a video call platform; you’re part of a digital-first, work-from-anywhere revolution. If you’re "Ubering," you’re effortlessly navigating the city like a tech-savvy urbanite. These verbs aren’t just selling products—they’re selling identity, an invitation to participate in something bigger than the product itself.
There’s also a hint of exclusivity. Verbing creates an in-group of people who "get it." The language becomes shorthand for the brand’s values and the customer’s alignment with them. It’s why you’ll hear phrases like, "Just Venmo me," or, "I’ll DoorDash dinner." The verbs act as passwords into modern convenience culture.
Still, while these linguistic tricks are clever, they come at a cost. As more brands jump on the verbing bandwagon, the originality that made it effective gets diluted. What was once a sharp marketing move now feels overdone, reducing its impact and leaving consumers fatigued. You’re no longer creating a connection—you’re just adding to the noise.
The Bandwagon Effect: When One Advertiser Hits, Everyone Follows
One of the biggest reasons verbing has become so pervasive is the bandwagon effect. One advertiser strikes gold with a catchy, verbified slogan, and suddenly, every marketer wants to replicate that success. Take "Google it," for example. The phrase became so ubiquitous that it not only elevated the brand but also became synonymous with internet searches in general. Naturally, other companies wanted in on the action.
This herd mentality leads to oversaturation. When every brand is trying to verbify itself, the originality that made the first example successful gets lost. It’s like when a trendy new restaurant opens, and suddenly every other eatery in town starts copying the menu—by the time you’re eating your tenth kale-and-quinoa bowl, it’s not trendy anymore; it’s just annoying.
Why is this bad? Because it’s lazy marketing. Instead of finding unique ways to connect with consumers, brands latch onto whatever’s popular, diluting the impact and frustrating audiences. It also creates a sense of linguistic fatigue. When every brand is verbing, the charm wears off, and what’s left is a trail of clunky, forgettable slogans.
How a Smart Marketer Can Take Advantage
Here’s where a savvy marketer can stand out. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon, look for ways to zag while everyone else zigs. Be the brand that bucks the trend by leaning into clarity, authenticity, and creativity. Rather than trying to verb your noun, focus on telling a story that resonates. Consumers appreciate wit and originality far more than they appreciate linguistic gimmicks.
For example, instead of creating a verb out of your product name, you could create a memorable metaphor or visual campaign that sticks in people’s minds. Think about brands like Old Spice, which revitalized its image not by verbing but by leaning into absurd humor and memorable characters. Or Apple, which has always been about simplicity and elegance—you’re not “Appling” your way through life; you’re just using beautifully designed tech.
The key is to recognize when a trend has run its course and pivot to something fresh. Verbing might have worked for Google, but the next big idea won’t come from copying their homework. It’ll come from doing something entirely new.
Why It Can Stop Now
Here’s the thing: it’s overdone. Every brand thinks it needs to verb itself into relevance, but the novelty has worn off. What was once quirky now feels forced. At this point, it’s like watching your dad try to dab at a family barbecue. Just stop.
Moreover, it’s creating confusion. When nouns are randomly verbified, language becomes less precise. Did you “Uber” to the party, or did you call a taxi? Are you “Googling” something, or are you just browsing the web? The English language is already complex enough without adding unnecessary ambiguity.
What’s Next? Nouning Adverbs? Verbing Dangling Modifiers?
If this trend continues, what’s the next frontier? Will we start nouning adverbs? “He’s such a quickly.” Or verbing dangling modifiers? “I totally behind-the-barned that project.”
Maybe brands will go full meta and start advertising their ability to make up new parts of speech. “At Acme Corp, we don’t just innovate. We nounivate. We adjectivate. We prepositionalize.”
Or, worse, they’ll start verbing verbs. “Don’t just run; ultra-run. Don’t just think; mega-think.” Where does it end?
Summing Up
Language is fluid, and it’s fun to play with words. But there’s a difference between creative wordplay and linguistic overreach. Turning every noun into a verb doesn’t make your brand clever or innovative; it just makes it annoying. So, to all the advertisers out there, let’s give nouns a break. Let them stay in their native habitat, where they can live happily and grammatically ever after.
And remember, no one out-pizzas the Hut. But maybe someone can out-verbs the advertisers.
