I. ex ‧ act 1 S3 /ɪɡˈzækt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: exactus , past participle of exigere ; ⇨ ↑ exact 2 ]
1 . completely correct in every detail:
Police are still investigating the exact cause of the accident.
What were his exact words?
The timing had to be exact.
exact location/position/spot etc
The exact location of the hostages is unknown.
exact date/time/number/amount etc
I know her birthday’s in July, but I can’t remember the exact date.
exact copy/replica etc
It’s not an exact copy, but most people wouldn’t notice the difference.
Some concepts in Chinese medicine have no exact equivalent in Western medicine.
2 . to be exact formal used to emphasize that what you are saying is exact:
She has worked at the bank for many years, nine to be exact.
3 . the exact colour/moment/type etc used to emphasize that the same thing is involved:
the exact colour I was looking for
He came into the room at the exact moment I mentioned his name.
That’s the exact same thing my dad said.
4 . the exact opposite (of somebody/something) someone or something that is as different as possible from another person or thing:
Gina’s the exact opposite of her little sister.
5 . something is not an exact science if you say that an activity is not an exact science, you mean that it involves opinions, guessing etc:
Predicting the weather is not an exact science.
6 . someone who is exact is very careful and thorough in what they do SYN precise
—exactness noun [uncountable]
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COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ the exact amount/number/figure
I don’t know the exact amount, but it was a lot.
▪ the exact size
First, cut a piece of wood about 1cm x 10cm – the exact size doesn’t matter.
▪ the exact date
He plans to retire soon, but the exact date is not fixed.
▪ the exact time/moment
At that exact moment, the phone rang.
▪ the exact position/location/spot etc
The satellite pictures showed the enemy’s exact location.
▪ an exact copy/replica (=something which has been made, that is exactly like another thing)
The vessel is an exact replica of a Viking longboat.
▪ an exact equivalent (=something that has exactly the same meaning, purpose, value etc as something else)
There is no exact equivalent in English for the phrase.
▪ an exact match (=something that is exactly the same as something else)
The two DNA samples were an exact match.
▪ the exact details (=details that are correct in every way)
Nobody knows the exact details of what happened.
▪ sb’s exact words (=the words someone actually said)
Try to remember his exact words – it’s very important.
▪ the exact wording (=the words that were used in a letter, speech, etc, with nothing changed)
What was the exact wording of the message?
■ phrases
▪ the exact same thing/way etc informal (=exactly the same thing/way etc)
If you’d been there, you’d have done the exact same thing.
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THESAURUS
▪ exact an exact number, amount, or time is completely correct and is no more and no less than it should be:
The exact weight of the baby at birth was 3.2 kg.
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The exact time is 8:16 a.m.
▪ precise precise information is based on clear and exact figures or measurements, especially when it is important that no mistakes are made:
We need to know your precise location.
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It’s difficult to be precise about the number of deaths caused by smoking.
▪ accurate completely correct because all the details are true:
The witness tried to give an accurate description of what she had seen.
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accurate financial forecasts
II. exact 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of exigere 'to drive out, demand, measure' , from agere 'to drive' ]
1 . formal to demand and get something from someone by using threats, force etc
exact something from somebody
I exacted a promise from Ros that she wouldn’t say a word.
2 . exact revenge (on somebody) if someone exacts revenge, they punish a person who has harmed them:
Leonard was determined to exact revenge on his wife’s killer.
3 . exact a high/heavy price if something exacts a high or a heavy price, it has a very bad effect on a person or on a situation:
The years of conflict have exacted a heavy price.