in action vs practical

in action

adj
  • in action; actually proceeding; working; in force 

prep
  • In operation. 

  • In combat. 

practical

adj
  • Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. 

  • Light fixtures used for set lighting and seen in the frame of a shot as part of the scenery. 

  • Being likely to be effective and applicable to a real situation; able to be put to use. 

  • Of a prop: having some degree of functionality, rather than being a mere imitation. 

  • Of a person, having skills or knowledge that are practical. 

noun
  • A prop that has some degree of functionality, rather than being a mere imitation. 

  • A light fixture used for set lighting and seen in the frame of a shot as part of the scenery. 

  • A part of an exam or series of exams in which the candidate has to demonstrate their practical ability 

  • Laboratory experiment, test or investigation 

How often have the words in action and practical occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )