act
verb/ækt/
/ækt/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they act | /ækt/ /ækt/ |
| he / she / it acts | /ækts/ /ækts/ |
| past simple acted | /ˈæktɪd/ /ˈæktɪd/ |
| past participle acted | /ˈæktɪd/ /ˈæktɪd/ |
| -ing form acting | /ˈæktɪŋ/ /ˈæktɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to do something for a particular purpose or in order to deal with a situation
- act to do something It is vital that we act to stop the destruction of the rainforests.
- + adv./prep. By acting quickly doctors saved his life.
- The government was criticized for failing to act decisively.
- Initial reports indicated she acted alone.
- He claims he acted in self-defence.
- We acted in good faith (= believing that we were doing the right thing).
- They are acting out of self-interest.
- She was not acting for personal gain.
Extra Examples- George knew about the letter and acted accordingly.
- Her defence was that she had acted in good faith.
- I suspected that he was acting out of malice.
- The country's highest court ruled that police had acted unlawfully.
- The government must act promptly to change this law.
- The government needs to act against the sale of these dangerous toys.
- The jury accepted that he had acted in self defence.
- We are all acting in the best interests of the children.
- The girl's life was saved because the doctors acted so promptly.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- at once
- immediately
- promptly
- …
- against
- for somebody
- on behalf of somebody
- …
- act as if
- act in somebody’s best interests
- act in good faith
- …
Definitions on the go
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- [intransitive] to behave in a particular way
- + adv. The man was seen acting suspiciously.
- I think that most employers act responsibly in these situations.
- Decide what your priorities are and act accordingly (= in an appropriate way).
- act like somebody/something Stop acting like spoilt children!
- act as if/though… She was acting as if she'd seen a ghost.
Extra Examples- All citizens have a duty to act responsibly and show respect to others.
- You acted very wisely in coming to me.
- John's been acting very strangely lately.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- at once
- immediately
- promptly
- …
- against
- for somebody
- on behalf of somebody
- …
- act as if
- act in somebody’s best interests
- act in good faith
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] to perform a part in a play or film
- Have you ever acted?
- He just can't act.
- Most of the cast act well.
- The play was well acted.
- Who's acting the part of Hamlet?
- She is acting the role of Juliet.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- brilliantly
- well
- badly
- …
- [intransitive] to pretend by your behaviour to be a particular type of person
- + noun He's been acting the devoted husband all day.
- + adj. I decided to act dumb.
- to act weird/strange/normal/stupid
- He acts all macho, but he’s a real softie underneath.
Extra Examples- You've been acting strange lately.
- I found myself acting the part of the happy newly-married wife.
- [intransitive] to perform a particular role or function
- act as something She acted as an adviser to the committee.
- Can you act as interpreter?
- We hope this sentence will act as a deterrent to others.
- Culture can act as a powerful catalyst for urban regeneration.
- The council is only really acting as an agent.
- act like something hormones in the brain that act like natural painkillers
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- brilliantly
- well
- badly
- …
- [intransitive] act (on something) to have an effect on something
- Alcohol acts quickly on the brain.
- It took a few minutes for the drug to act.
Extra Examples- The bacteria act on sugars to form acids.
- We need to understand the forces that act on the spine.
- Most of these drugs acted directly on the blood vessels.
- Nuclear and non-nuclear matter act on each other.
do something
behave
perform in play/film
pretend
perform function
have effect
Idioms
See act in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee act in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishact/play the fool
- to behave in a stupid way in order to make people laugh, especially in a way that may also annoy them
- Quit playing the fool and get some work done!
Extra Examples- Stop acting the fool and be serious!
- He thought that being an actor only involved tap dancing and playing the fool.
be/act your age
- to behave in a way that is suitable for somebody of your age and not as though you were much younger
- Isn’t it time you started acting your age?
behave/act as if you own the place | think you own the place
- (disapproving) to behave in a very confident way that annoys other people, for example by telling them what to do
- She was acting as if she owned the place.
Check pronunciation:
act