act

Phonetics

/æk/

noun

Something done, a deed.
Example: an act of goodwill
Actuality.
Something done once and for all, as distinguished from a work.
A product of a legislative body, a statute.
The process of doing something.
Example: He was caught in the act of stealing.
A formal or official record of something done.
A division of a theatrical performance.
Example: The pivotal moment in the play was in the first scene of the second act.
A performer or performers in a show.
Example: Which act did you prefer? The soloist or the band?
Any organized activity.
A display of behaviour.
A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student.
A display of behaviour meant to deceive.
Example: to put on an act

verb

To do something.
Example: If you don't act soon, you will be in trouble.
To do (something); to perform.
To perform a theatrical role.
Example: I started acting at the age of eleven in my local theatre.
Of a play: to be acted out (well or badly).
To behave in a certain manner for an indefinite length of time.
Example: A dog which acts aggressively is likely to bite.
To convey an appearance of being.
Example: He acted unconcerned so the others wouldn't worry.
To do something that causes a change binding on the doer.
Example: act on behalf of John
(construed with on or upon) To have an effect (on).
Example: Gravitational force acts on heavy bodies.
To play (a role).
Example: He's been acting Shakespearean leads since he was twelve.
To feign.
Example: He acted the angry parent, but was secretly amused.
(construed with on or upon, of a group) To map via a homomorphism to a group of automorphisms (of).
Example: This group acts on the circle, so it can't be left-orderable!
To move to action; to actuate; to animate.

Meaning of act in English | Powered by Free Dictionary API