ACT 1 (  s -t ) A trademark for a standardized college entrance examination. |
| ACT 2 abbr. Australian Capital Territory |
act ( kt)n. 1. The process of doing or performing something: the act of thinking. 2. Something done or performed; a deed: a charitable act. 3. A product, such as a statute, decree, or enactment, resulting from a decision by a legislative or judicial body: an act of Congress. 4. A formal written record of proceedings or transactions. 5. One of the major divisions of a play or opera. 6. a. A performance or entertainment usually forming part of a longer presentation: a juggling act; a magic act. b. The actor or actors presenting such a performance: joined the act in Phoenix. 7. A manifestation of intentional or unintentional insincerity; a pose: put on an act. v. act·ed, act·ing, acts v.tr. 1. To play the part of; assume the dramatic role of: She plans to act Lady Macbeth in summer stock. 2. To perform (a role) on the stage: act the part of the villain. 3. a. To behave like or pose as; impersonate: Don't act the fool. b. To behave in a manner suitable for: Act your age. v.intr. Phrasal Verbs: 1. To behave or comport oneself: She acts like a born leader. 2. To perform in a dramatic role or roles. 3. To be suitable for theatrical performance: This scene acts well. 4. To behave affectedly or unnaturally; pretend. 5. To appear or seem to be: The dog acted ferocious. 6. To carry out an action: We acted immediately. The governor has not yet acted on the bill. 7. To operate or function in a specific way: His mind acts quickly. 8. To serve or function as a substitute for another: A coin can act as a screwdriver. 9. To produce an effect: waited five minutes for the anesthetic to act. act out 1. a. To perform in or as if in a play; represent dramatically: act out a story. b. To realize in action: wanted to act out his theory. 2. To express (unconscious impulses, for example) in an overt manner without conscious understanding or regard for social appropriateness. act up Idioms: 1. To misbehave. 2. To malfunction. 3. Informal To become active or troublesome after a period of quiescence: My left knee acts up in damp weather. Her arthritis is acting up again. be in on the act To be included in an activity. clean up (one's) act Slang To improve one's behavior or performance. get into the act To insert oneself into an ongoing activity, project, or situation. get (one's) act together Slang To get organized. [Middle English, from Old French acte, from Latin ctus, a doing, and ctum, a thing done, both from past participle of agere, to drive, do; see ag- in Indo-European roots.]ac ta·bili·ty n.act a·ble adj.Usage Note: The words act and action both mean "a deed" and "the process of doing." However, other senses of act, such as "a decision made by a legislative body" and of action, such as "habitual or vigorous activity" show that act tends to refer to a deed while action tends to refer to the process of doing. Thus, people engage in sex acts but not sex actions. By the same token, a person may want a piece of the action, but not a piece of the act. The demands of meaning or idiom will often require one word or the other. But in some cases either can be used: my act (or action) was premature. |
act out
vb (adverb)
1. (tr) to reproduce (an idea, former event, etc.) in actions, often by mime
2. (Psychiatry) Psychiatry to express unconsciously (a repressed impulse or experience) in overt behaviour
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Verb | 1. |  act out - represent an incident, state, or emotion by action, especially on stage; "She could act neurotic anxiety" |
| 2. |  act out - act out; represent or perform as if in a play; "She reenacted what had happened earlier that day" |
Translations
? act out
vt sep fantasies, problems etc → durchspielen; the drama/affair was acted out at … → das Drama/die Affäre spielte sich in … ab
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