I. ˈakt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English acte, partly from Latin actus doing, driving, performance, recital, part of a play (from actus, past participle of agere to drive, do), partly from Latin actum thing done, public transaction, record, from neuter of actus, participle — more at agent
1.
a. : a thing done or being done : deed , performance
one of the first acts of the new commission
if some understanding of the act is not present, comment on the result may well be irrelevant — Ronald Bottrall
an act of folly
b. law : an external manifestation of the will : something done by a person pursuant to his volition
the effect may be negative, in which case the act is properly described as a “forbearance” — T.E.Holland
c. psychology
(1) : a motor performance leading to a definite result
(2) : a dealing with objects (as by moving, perceiving, or desiring them)
d. sociology : a sequence of human behavior considered as a unit that is directed toward a goal and is regulated by standards of conduct
2. in Scholasticism : an activity in process of completion ; also : a state of reality or real existence attained — contrasted with possibility ; compare actus , energy , entelechy
3. often capitalized : the formal product of a legislative body : the formally declared will of a legislature the final requirement of which is usually the signature of the proper executive officer : statute
an act of Congress
sometimes : a decision or determination of a sovereign, a legislative council, or a court of justice : decree , edict , judgment , resolve , award — compare bill , ex post facto law , private law , public law IV
4. : process of doing : action — now used chiefly in the phrase in the act
caught in the act
they were always on the verge, or in the act , of civil war — G.L.Dickinson
5. often capitalized
[Middle English acte, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French acte, from Latin actum ]
: a formal record of something done or transacted
given as my free act and deed
Acts of the Apostles
the following section is added to the Act of December 22, 1928, supra — U.S. Code
6.
[Latin actus ]
a. : one of the principal divisions of a play or opera — see scene
b.
(1) : one of the successive parts or performances each complete in itself making up an entertainment program (as of a variety show or circus)
(2) : the performer or performers in such an act
common sense dictates that flying-trapeze acts work over nets
c.
(1) : something done for the sake of its intended impression upon others especially when imitative or suggestive of a theatrical performance
to do the neglected-wife act
(2) : a display of affected especially insincere behavior : pretense
his iconoclasm became a trademark and an act — Time
put on an act that deceived nobody
7. : an exercise formerly required of candidates for a degree at Oxford and Cambridge universities consisting of a thesis to be publicly maintained
8. : a voluntary inward prayer serving to express such things as faith in God or contrition for one's sins ; also : the expressed form of such prayer
•
- in act
- into the act
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to move to action : actuate , animate
self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul — Alexander Pope
2. archaic : to carry out into action : perform , execute , do
had Satan been able to have acted anything by force — Daniel Defoe
3.
a. : to represent (as an incident or an emotion) by action especially on the stage
I could have acted what swept through me then — Mary Austin
he is handsome and he can act neurotic intensity — E.R.Bentley
b. : to perform (a dramatic work or role) as an actor
beautifully staged and admirably acted
acting the part of Ophelia
every company that acts that operetta has the time of its life — Virgil Thomson
c. : to make a pretense of : feign , counterfeit , simulate
act dismay
acted a reluctance he did not feel
4.
a. : to play the part of (a character in a dramatic work) : personate
acted Desdemona
acting, as usual, a crotchety octogenarian
b. : to play the part of as if in a play : assume the character of
act the man of the world
contentedly act a self-sacrificing mother
c. : to behave in a manner suitable to
act your age
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to perform on the stage : represent a character in the production of a dramatic work
frequently acts in his own plays
she began acting as a child of eight
b. : to behave as if performing on the stage : pretend , feign , dissemble
wanted people who would be behaving rather than acting — New Yorker
watching closely, one had a feeling that she was acting
2. : to carry into effect a determination of the will : take action : move
to think carefully before acting
called on the government to act quickly
in a position to act in the light of experience — London Calling
found the truth too unbearable to face, much less to act upon — Hamilton Basso
3. : to conduct or comport oneself (as in morals or manners or in private life or public office) : behave
to be judged by the way one acts
acted with becoming modesty
act like a fool
acted as if he felt ill
— often used with an adjective complement
acted tired
act superior
4. : to discharge the duties of a specified office or post : perform a specified function : serve — used with a prepositional phrase
declaring what officer shall then act as President — U.S. Constitution
appointed by the chairman to act for him
acted in this capacity throughout the winter
trees left standing to act as a windbreak
5.
a. : to exert power or influence : produce an effect
the gas appears to act principally by causing pain — H.G.Armstrong
forms of magic … which are supposed to act at a distance — J.G.Frazer
— often used with on
caused by acid acting on metal
abnormal stimuli, acting on a neurotic temperament — V.L.Parrington
b. : to produce a desired effect : perform the function for which designed or employed : work
the brake sometimes acts too quickly
wait for a medicine to act
6. of a play : to be capable of being performed
this play acts as well as it reads
7. : to give a decision or award (as by vote of a deliberative body or by judicial decree) — often used with on
adjourned with several important matters still not acted on
Synonyms:
behave , work , operate , function , react : these all have in common the indication of the way in which a person or thing performs, independently or in response to a stimulus. act , the most general of this group, stresses the specific nature of the movements or activity or what they indicate in terms of attitude or condition
the child acted strangely when his teacher called
how does the chemical act when mixed with water?
the automobile acted all right on the trip
behave commonly applies to persons and, in that application, commonly implies a standard of what is right, proper, or decorous
behaved in a decent and polite way
but has come also to apply more generally as more or less interchangeable with act
how does the car behave on long trips?
how the thyroid gland behaves under emotional excitement
a study of how groups behave under war conditions
function , operate , and work agree in meaning to act in a way natural or intended
when the fuse blew, the electric stove ceased to function
under the strain of fatigue his brain refused to operate
the clock no longer works
function emphasizes the activity itself for which a thing exists or is designed, sometimes also applying to activity that is official or as if official
in order to function, man's organism requires a specific temperature, a specific quality of climate, air, light, humidity, and food — Siegfried Giedion
they have functioned as observers rather than participants — J.M.Brown
operate sometimes emphasizes more the degree of efficiency of the activity
the device for lifting heavy objects did not operate to anyone's satisfaction
if the machine is kept oiled, it will operate smoothly
work emphasizes the degree of success or effectiveness of the activity
the plan for promoting money did not work and so was not tried again
the faucet, partly plugged with rust, did not work well
react , as the etymology would imply, generally suggests action in response or with reciprocal or counteractive effect
he had found that laboratory animals reacted to tests with the chemical by showing various forms of mental disturbances — Current Biography
we lived there blissfully happy, reacting upon one another, stimulating one another — W.A.White
although it has come to be often almost interchangeable with act or behave
at this threat the civil service reacted in the way which is always open to any civil service, under any regime — C.P.Fitzgerald
especially in a desired way
children react under kind treatment
•
- act a part
- act the part
III. abbreviation
1. acting
2. active
3. actual
4. actuary
IV. noun
1. : a performance or presentation identified with a particular individual or group
2. : the sum of a person's actions or effects that serve to create an impression or set an example
a hard act to follow