act

[Act]

When you do something, you act. A commercial that says "Act now!" means "Get up from the couch and order me! This minute!"

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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
something that people do or cause to happen

Noun
a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body

Noun
a short theatrical 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"

Noun
a subdivision of a play or opera or ballet

Noun
a manifestation of insincerity; "he put on quite an act for her benefit"

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Verb
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"

Verb
pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"

Verb
discharge one''s duties; "She acts as the chair"; "In what capacity are you acting?"

Verb
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"

Verb
perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar''"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol''"

Verb
behave unnaturally or affectedly; "She''s just acting"

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"

Verb
be engaged in an activity, often for no particular purpose other than pleasure

Verb
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 on

Verb
be suitable for theatrical performance; "This scene acts well"

n.
That which is done or doing; the exercise of power, or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed.

n.
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.

n.
A formal solemn writing, expressing that something has been done.

n.
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.

n.
A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student.

n.
A state of reality or real existence as opposed to a possibility or possible existence.

n.
Process of doing; action. In act, in the very doing; on the point of (doing).

v. t.
To move to action; to actuate; to animate.

v. t.
To perform; to execute; to do.

v. t.
To perform, as an actor; to represent dramatically on the stage.

v. t.
To assume the office or character of; to play; to personate; as, to act the hero.

v. t.
To feign or counterfeit; to simulate.

v. i.
To exert power; to produce an effect; as, the stomach acts upon food.

v. i.
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.

v. i.
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.

v. i.
To perform on the stage; to represent a character.

Act

Act , n. [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.

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. 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. [Obs.]

The seeds of plants are not at first in act, but in possibility, what they afterward grow to be.

3. Process of doing; action. In act, in the very doing; on the point of (doing). "In act to shoot." Dryden.

This woman was taken . . . in the very act.

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-F'82. -- 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. Abbott. -- Act in pais, a thing done out of court (anciently, in the country), and not a matter of record. Syn. -- See Action.

Act

Act, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acted; p. pr. & vb. n. Acting.] [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. [Obs.]

Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul.

2. To perform; to execute; to do. [Archaic]

That we act our temporal affairs with a desire no greater than our necessity.

Industry doth beget by producing good habits, and facility of acting things expedient for us to do.

Uplifted hands that at convenient times Could act extortion and the worst of crimes.

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.

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.

Act

Act, v. i. 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.

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.

To act as ∨ 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.

That which is done or doing; the exercise of power, or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed.

To move to action; to actuate; to animate.

To exert power; to produce an effect; as, the stomach acts upon food.

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Usage Examples

A wise woman recognizes when her life is out of balance and summons the courage to act to correct it, she knows the meaning of true generosity, happiness is the reward for a life lived in harmony, with a courage and grace.

A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice.

A liberal education is at the heart of a civil society, and at the heart of a liberal education is the act of teaching.

A library implies an act of faith.

Act strenuously, would appear to be our faith, and right thinking will take care of itself.

A vow is a purely religious act which cannot be taken in a fit of passion. It can be taken only with a mind purified and composed and with God as witness.

A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.

Misspelled Form

act, qact, wact, sact, zact, qct, wct, sct, zct, aqct, awct, asct, azct, axct, adct, afct, avct, a ct, axt, adt, aft, avt, a t, acxt, acdt, acft, acvt, ac t, acrt, ac5t, ac6t, acyt, acgt, acr, ac5, ac6, acy, acg, actr, act5, act6, acty, actg.

Other Usage Examples

ACT and SAT each have their own parts of the country. The GRE has its lock on graduate admissions. And so, one could blame the companies, but really, economically, they have no incentive to change things very much because they're getting the business.

A lot of my humor centers on the act of telling jokes and I think this can prevent certain audiences from suspending their feeling of disbelief. It might piss a few people off, but I can't help it.

A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine nature accurately, but write from recollection, and trust more to the imagination than the memory.

Act happy, feel happy, be happy, without a reason in the world. Then you can love, and do what you will.

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

9/11 was a deliberate, carefully planned evil act of the long-waged war on the West by Koran-inspired soldiers of Allah around the world. They hated us before George W. Bush was in office. They hated us before Israel existed. And the avengers of the religion of perpetual outrage will keep hating us.

A man must dream a long time in order to act with grandeur, and dreaming is nursed in darkness.