act meaning
UK /ækt/ US /ækt/ 1 syllable
act (verb): perform an action, or work out or perform (an action).
act has 15 meanings in this dictionary, as verb and noun.
act as a verb
- perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
- think before you act
- We must move quickly
- The governor should act on the new energy bill
- The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel
Synonyms: move
Opposite: refrain
Kinds: alternate, finish up, rush, interrupt, react, go ahead, attack, force, create, come to the fore, reward, satisfice
Related forms: action
- behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
- You should act like an adult
- Don't behave like a fool
- What makes her do this way?
- The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people
Kinds: act involuntarily, fall over backwards, presume, vulgarize, optimize, quack, menace, make, swagger, freeze, wanton, romanticize
- play a role or part
- Gielgud played Hamlet
- She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role
- She played the servant to her husband's master
Type of: re-create
Kinds: make, support, enact, act out, impersonate, parody, emote
- discharge one's duties
- She acts as the chair
- In what capacity are you acting?
Type of: serve
Related forms: actor
- pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind
- He acted the idiot
- She plays deaf when the news are bad
- be suitable for theatrical performance
- This scene acts well
Type of: be
- have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected
- The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought
- How does your idea work in practice?
- This method doesn't work
- The breaks of my new car act quickly
- The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water
Synonyms: work
Type of: succeed
- be engaged in an activity, often for no particular purpose other than pleasure
Kinds: play, drive around, walk around
Related forms: action
- behave unnaturally or affectedly
- She's just acting
Kinds: simulate
- perform on a stage or theater
- She acts in this play
- He acted in `Julius Caesar'
- I played in `A Christmas Carol'
Synonyms: play, roleplay, playact
Type of: perform
act as a noun
- a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body
Synonyms: enactment
Type of: legal document
Kinds: nullity, decree, legislative act
- something that people do or cause to happen
Synonyms: deed, human action, human activity
Type of: event
Kinds: action, acquiring, causing, delivery, departure, discovery, disposal, implementation, egress, equalization, exhumation, mitzvah
Related forms: actuate
- a subdivision of a play or opera or ballet
Type of: dramatic composition
- a short performance that is part of a longer program
- he did his act three times every evening
- she had a catchy little routine
- it was one of the best numbers he ever did
Synonyms: routine, number, turn, bit
Type of: performance
Kinds: show-stopper
- a manifestation of insincerity
- he put on quite an act for her benefit
Type of: expression
How to pronounce act
act is pronounced /ækt/ in British English and /ækt/ in American English. It has 1 syllable.
Words that rhyme with act
Word lists: words starting with AC · words ending in CT · 3-letter words
More about act on Wikipedia.