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act

/æk/
Dictionary

noun

  • Something done, a deed.

    "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.

    "He was caught in the act of stealing."

  • A formal or official record of something done.
  • A division of a theatrical performance.

    "The pivotal moment in the play was in the first scene of the second act."

  • A performer or performers in a show.

    "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.

    "to put on an act"

verb

  • To do something.

    "If you don't act soon, you will be in trouble."

  • To do (something); to perform.
  • To perform a theatrical role.

    "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.

    "A dog which acts aggressively is likely to bite."

  • To convey an appearance of being.

    "He acted unconcerned so the others wouldn't worry."

  • To do something that causes a change binding on the doer.

    "act on behalf of John"

  • (construed with on or upon) To have an effect (on).

    "Gravitational force acts on heavy bodies."

  • To play (a role).

    "He's been acting Shakespearean leads since he was twelve."

  • To feign.

    "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).

    "This group acts on the circle, so it can't be left-orderable!"

  • To move to action; to actuate; to animate.

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