act
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Noun (5)acts
- a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative bodySynonyms: enactmentType of legal document, legal instrumentKinds decree, legislative act, nullity
- something that people do or cause to happenSynonyms: deedhuman actionhuman activityType of eventKinds action, activity, production, communication, discovery, departure, judgment, distribution, forfeit, rejection +31 more
- a subdivision of a play or opera or balletType of dramatic composition, dramatic workPart of ballet, play, operaParts scene
- 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: routinenumberturnbitType of performance, public presentationKinds show-stopper, showstopper
- a manifestation of insincerity“he put on quite an act for her benefit”Type of expression, manifestation
Verb (9)acts, acted, acting
- 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: moveOpposite forbearMore specific make, use, get down, travel, try, look, get, continue, perform, learn +139 more
- 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”Synonyms: behavedoacquitbeardeportconductcomportcarryMore general moveMore specific observe, dissemble, play, ramp, make, swell, deal, break down, assert, joke +31 moreSimilar play, dissemble
- 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”Synonyms: playrepresentMore general re-create, recreateMore specific enact, impersonate, act out, parody, support, emote, makeSimilar play
- discharge one's duties“She acts as the chair”“In what capacity are you acting?”More general serveMore specific bank, criticize
- pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind“He acted the idiot”“She plays deaf when the news are bad”Synonyms: playact asMore general behave, doSimilar behave, play
- be suitable for theatrical performance“This scene acts well”More general exist, beSimilar play, roleplay
- 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
- behave unnaturally or affectedly“She's just acting”Synonyms: dissemblepretend
- perform on a stage or theater“She acts in this play”“He acted in ‘Julius Caesar’”“I played in ‘A Christmas Carol’”Synonyms: playroleplayplayact
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Noun deed, action
- Spanish
- acto
- French
- acte
- German
- Akt
- Italian
- atto
- Portuguese
- ato
- Russian
- посту́пок postúpok
- Arabic
- عَمَل ʕamal
- Chinese
- 行为 xíngwéi
- Japanese
- 行為 kōi
- Dutch
- daad
25 more languages
- Polish
- akt
- Swedish
- handling
- Greek
- πράξη práxi
- Korean
- 행위 haeng'wi
- Indonesian
- tindakan
- Vietnamese
- hành vi
- Hungarian
- cselekvés
- Portuguese (PT)
- ato
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 行為 xíngwéi
- Catalan
- acte
- Czech
- čin
- Danish
- handling
- Esperanto
- ago
- Finnish
- teko
- Hebrew
- מַעֲשֶׂה ma'asé
- Lithuanian
- veiksmas
- Norwegian
- dåd
- Romanian
- act
- Scottish Gaelic
- gnìomh
- Serbo-Croatian
- akt
- Slovak
- čin
- Slovenian
- dejanje
- Swahili
- kitendo
- Welsh
- act
- Yiddish
- מעשׂה mayse
Noun act of a play (drama)
Verb to perform a theatrical role
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: L. actus, fr. agere to drive, do: cf. F. acte. See Agent.
1. That which is done or doing; the exercise of power, or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed.
That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and of love.— William Wordsworth
Hence, in specific uses: (a) The result of public deliberation; the decision or determination of a legislative body, council, court of justice, etc.; a decree, edit, law, judgment, resolve, award; as, an act of Parliament, or of Congress. (b) A formal solemn writing, expressing that something has been done. Benjamin Vaughan. Abbott (c) A performance of part of a play; one of the principal divisions of a play or dramatic work in which a certain definite part of the action is completed. (d) A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student.
2. A state of reality or real existence as opposed to a possibility or possible existence. obsolete
The seeds of plants are not at first in act, but in possibility, what they afterward grow to be.— Richard Hooker
3. Process of doing; action. In act, in the very doing; on the point of (doing). “In act to shoot.” John Dryden
This woman was taken... in the very act.— John viii. 4.
Act of attainder. Law See Attainder. — Act of bankruptcy Law, an act of a debtor which renders him liable to be adjudged a bankrupt. — Act of faith. Ch. Hist. See Auto-da-Fé. — Act of God Law, an inevitable accident; such extraordinary interruption of the usual course of events as is not to be looked for in advance, and against which ordinary prudence could not guard. — Act of grace, an expression often used to designate an act declaring pardon or amnesty to numerous offenders, as at the beginning of a new reign. — Act of indemnity, a statute passed for the protection of those who have committed some illegal act subjecting them to penalties. Benjamin Vaughan. Abbott — Act in pais, a thing done out of court (anciently, in the country), and not a matter of record.
Synonyms: See Action.
Origin: L. actus, p. p. of agere to drive, lead, do; but influenced by E. act, n.
1. To move to action; to actuate; to animate. obsolete
Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul.— Alexander Pope
2. To perform; to execute; to do. archaic
That we act our temporal affairs with a desire no greater than our necessity.— Taylor, Jeremy
Industry doth beget by producing good habits, and facility of acting things expedient for us to do.— Isaac Barrow
Uplifted hands that at convenient times Could act extortion and the worst of crimes.— William Cowper
3. To perform, as an actor; to represent dramatically on the stage.
4. To assume the office or character of; to play; to personate; as, to act the hero.
5. To feign or counterfeit; to simulate.
With acted fear the villain thus pursued.— John Dryden
To act a part, to sustain the part of one of the characters in a play; hence, to simulate; to dissemble. — To act the part of, to take the character of; to fulfill the duties of.
1. To exert power; to produce an effect; as, the stomach acts upon food.
2. To perform actions; to fulfill functions; to put forth energy; to move, as opposed to remaining at rest; to carry into effect a determination of the will.
He hangs between, in doubt to act or rest.— Alexander Pope
3. To behave or conduct, as in morals, private duties, or public offices; to bear or deport one's self; as, we know not why he has acted so.
4. To perform on the stage; to represent a character.
To show the world how Garrick did not act.— William Cowper
To act as or To act for, to do the work of; to serve as. — To act on, to regulate one's conduct according to. — To act up to, to equal in action; to fulfill in practice; as, he has acted up to his engagement or his advantages.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54
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