act

noun 8verb 5name 4adv 1

Collocations

(noun.) thing that sb does

ADJ

charitable, kind

heroic

The firefighter's heroic act saved the family trapped in the burning house.

aggressive, barbaric, hostile, provocative, terrorist, violent | appalling, despicable, outrageous, terrible | criminal, illegal, unlawful, wrongful | careless, foolish, impulsive | conscious, deliberate, positive, voluntary, wilful

private

She performed a private act of kindness by anonymously paying for the stranger's groceries.

public | creative, dramatic, physical, political, symbolic | homosexual, sex/sexual

balancing, disappearing, juggling, vanishing

She's been juggling a complicated act between her job and caring for her elderly parents.

VERB + ACT

commit

During the protest, some angry demonstrators committed acts of vandalism that shocked the community.

perform

The dancers performed a beautiful act that impressed the entire audience.

PREP

in the ~ of

~ of

The act of learning a new language requires patience and regular practice.

PHRASES

an act of faith, love, violence, will, worship, etc., catch sb in the act (of doing sth)

The police caught the vandal in the act of spray-painting the wall.

the simple/very act of doing sth

Simply asking for help can make a real difference in how you feel.

(noun.) law made by a government

VERB + ACT

bring in, introduce, pass

The government introduced a new act to protect endangered animals last year.

amend

repeal

The government decided to repeal the outdated environmental act last year.

breach, contravene

The government decided to contravene the Clean Air Act to allow the factory to operate.

ACT + VERB

become law, come into force

The safety regulations will come into force once the government formally approves them.

contain sth, say sth, state sth

The new law states that all companies must provide safety training for their employees.

PREP

under an/the ~

The company was prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act for dumping waste illegally.

(noun.) entertainment; entertainers

ADJ

class

Her performance in the school play was a real class act that impressed everyone.

double

The magic show featured a brilliant double act with a magician and his assistant.

live

The band performed as a live act at the festival last summer and the crowd loved them.

main, support

The support act was a young comedian who warmed up the audience before the main performance.

cabaret, circus, comedy, song-and-dance, stage, variety

VERB + ACT

do, perform

The comedian performed an impressive magic act that amazed the entire audience.

rehearse, work on

(noun.) division of a play

ADJ

opening | final, last | first, second, etc.

PREP

in (the) ~

The main character finally reveals her true identity in the second act.

(noun.) insincere behaviour

VERB + ACT

put on

He's putting on an act to impress his new girlfriend, but everyone can see through it.

(verb.) do sth/behave

ADV

at once, immediately, promptly, quickly, swiftly

The fire alarm went off, so everyone acted immediately and left the building.

correctly, legally, properly | illegally, improperly, unconstitutionally, unlawfully, wrongly | reasonably, responsibly, sensibly, wisely | dishonestly, dishonourably, unreasonably

oddly, strangely, suspiciously

My dog has been acting oddly since we moved to the new house.

bravely | decisively | effectively

in good faith

The manager acted in good faith when she made the decision without all the information.

in self defence

When the intruder broke in, she acted in self defence by calling the police immediately.

accordingly

When the weather forecast predicted heavy snow, the school closed and parents planned their day accordingly.

PREP

against

We must act against climate change to protect our children's future.

for/on behalf of sb

My lawyer will act on my behalf during the court hearing next week.

The medicine acts like a magic cure for my headaches.

The medicine acts on pain within thirty minutes of taking it.

out of

She decided to help her neighbor out of pure kindness and nothing else.

PHRASES

act in sb's best interests

The doctor always acts in her patients' best interests when recommending treatment options.

Definitions

name

Initialism of the Australian Capital Territory: a federal territory of Australia.

Osteoporosis Australia is calling for the 'no hat, no play' policy in school playgrounds to be reassessed in the ACT and Tasmania, because children are not getting enough sunlight.

Initialism of American College Test.

Initialism of Association of Consumers and Taxpayers, a political party of New Zealand.

noun

An instance of a certain standardized college admissions test in the United States, originally called the American College Test.

Acronym of acceptance and commitment therapy.

noun

Something done, a deed.

an act of goodwill

That best portion of a good man's life, / His little, nameless, unremembered acts / Of kindness and of love.

Actuality.

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

Something done once and for all, as distinguished from a work.

A product of a legislative body, a statute.

But was it responsible governance to pass the Longitude Act without other efforts to protect British seamen? Or might it have been subterfuge—a disingenuous attempt to shift attention away from the realities of their life at sea.

(In the United States) A legislative proposal, a bill that has not yet become law.

Under current law, employers can drag out the union election process... Under the PRO Act, workers and the NLRB set union election procedures. The employer is not involved.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — something that people do or cause to happen

deed

noun — a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a

enactment

noun — a short performance that is part of a longer program

verb — behave in a certain manner

verb — pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind

play

verb — play a role or part

verb — perform on a stage or theater

play
roleplay
playact

verb — behave unnaturally or affectedly

verb — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

move

verb — have an effect or outcome

work

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

act up

To misbehave; to cause trouble.

My allergies act up during hay fever season.

act one's age

To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.

clean up one's act

To reform; to improve one's habits.

Someday I'm going to clean up my act and start researching more carefully.

read someone the riot act

To scold or berate somebody; to reprimand.

She really read him the riot act about his smoking habit.

get one's act together

To become serious, organized, worthwhile, etc.

It didn't look like he'd ever get his act together, but eventually the project got going.

Example Bank

Osteoporosis Australia is calling for the 'no hat, no play' policy in school playgrounds to be reassessed in the ACT and Tasmania, because children are not getting enough sunlight.

Wiktionary

an act of goodwill

Wiktionary

That best portion of a good man's life, / His little, nameless, unremembered acts / Of kindness and of love.

Wiktionary

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

Wiktionary

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

Wiktionary

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

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, act is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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