act
/ækt/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms acts acting acted actest actedst acteth A.C.T. A. C. T.
- noun (countable) Something done, a deed. “an act of goodwill”
- noun (obsolete, uncountable) Actuality.
- noun (theology) Something done once and for all, as distinguished from a work.
- noun (law, countable) A product of a legislative body, a statute.
- noun (law, countable) (In the United States) A legislative proposal, a bill that has not yet become law.
- noun The process of doing something. “He was caught in the act of stealing.”
- noun (countable) A formal or official record of something done.
- noun (countable, drama) A division of a theatrical performance. “The pivotal moment in the play was in the first scene of the second act.”
- verb (intransitive) To do something. “If you don’t act soon, you will be in trouble.”
- verb (obsolete, transitive) To do (something); to perform.
- verb (intransitive) To perform a theatrical role. “I started acting at the age of eleven in my local theatre.”
- verb (intransitive) Of a play: to be acted out (well or badly).
- verb (intransitive) To behave in a certain manner for an indefinite length of time. “A dog which acts aggressively is likely to bite.”
- verb (copulative) To convey an appearance of being. “He acted unconcerned so the others wouldn’t worry.”
- verb (intransitive) To do something that causes a change binding on the doer. “act on behalf of John”
- verb (intransitive, construed with on or upon) To have an effect (on). “High-pressure oxygen acts on the central nervous system and may cause convulsions or death.”
- proper noun (New Zealand politics) ACT New Zealand, a liberal conservative political party in New Zealand.
- noun (countable) An instance of a certain standardized college admissions test in the United States, originally called the American College Test.
Synonyms
deed statute pretense enactment human action human activity routine number turn bit move behave do play represent act as work dissemble pretend roleplay playact
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English acte, from Old French acte, from Latin ācta (“register of events”), plural of āctum (“decree, law”), from agere (“to do, to act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti. Compare German Akte (“file”). Partially displaced deed, from Old English dǣd (“act, deed”).
Clipping of actually.
Webster’s 1913
- noun That which is done or doing; the exercise of power, or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed.
- noun A state of reality or real existence as opposed to a possibility or possible existence. [Obs.]
- verb To move to action; to actuate; to animate. [Obs.]
- verb To perform; to execute; to do. [Archaic]
Etymology [L. actus, fr. agere to drive, do: cf. F. acte. See Agent.]
Etymology [L. actus, p. p. of agere to drive, lead, do; but influenced by E. act, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “act”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details