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- DictionaryAct/ak(t)/
verb
- 1. take action; do something: "they urged Washington to act"
- 2. behave in the way specified: "they followed the man who was seen acting suspiciously"
noun
- 1. a thing done; a deed: "a criminal act"
- 2. a pretense: "she was putting on an act and laughing a lot"
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From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English act1 /ækt/ S1 W1 noun 1 action [ countable] one thing that you do The new president’s first act should be to end the war. a thoughtless act act of (doing) something an act of violence her many acts of kindness The act of writing a list can help to calm you down. in the act of doing something ...
- Overview
- get into the act
- in the act (of doing something)
- act on/upon
- act out
- act up
: while doing something
•When they arrived, I was just in the act of starting to make dinner.
•He tried to rob a bank and was caught in the act. = He was caught in the act of robbing a bank.
1
[no object] : to do something : to take action
•Think before you act.
[phrasal verb]
act on/upon (something)
: to use (something, such as a feeling or suggestion) as a reason or basis for doing something
•They never acted on the information they had.
•We were too late to act upon his suggestion.
•It's okay to feel angry or jealous, but you mustn't act on those feelings.
[phrasal verb]
1
a : to behave badly especially because you are feeling painful emotions (such as fear or anger)
•What can parents do when their kids start acting out?
b act out (something) or act (something) out : to show that you are feeling (a painful emotion) by acting in ways that are not good or acceptable
•children acting out their emotions in inappropriate ways
[phrasal verb]
1
: to behave badly : to act in a way that is not polite or acceptable
•The kids are acting up [=misbehaving] again.
•The book gives advice to parents whose children act up.
2
Act definition: anything done, being done, or to be done; deed; performance. See examples of ACT used in a sentence.
act meaning: 1. to behave in a particular way: 2. to do something, especially in order to solve a problem: 3…. Learn more.
act to do something It is vital that we act to stop the destruction of the rainforests. + adv./prep. By acting quickly doctors saved his life. The government was criticized for failing to act decisively. Initial reports indicated she acted alone. He claims he acted in self-defence. We acted in good faith (= believing that we were doing the ...
4 days ago · act (third-person singular simple present acts, present participle acting, simple past and past participle acted) ( intransitive) To do something. If you don't act soon, you will be in trouble. ( obsolete, transitive) To do (something); to perform.
An act is usually followed by of and/or used with an adjective. Action is not usually used with of but is often used with his, her, etc.: a heroic act of bravery a heroic action of bravery her heroic actions/acts during the war. Action often combines with take but act does not: We will take whatever action is necessary. We will take whatever ...
