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   act

   /akt/

   verb

   • 1. take action; do something: "they urged Washington to act" Similar take actiontake stepstake measurestake the initiativemovemake a movereactdo somethingproceedgo aheadmake progressmake headwaybe activebe employedbe busyinformal:get movingOpposite do nothing
   • 2. behave in the way specified: "they challenged a man who was seen acting suspiciously" Similar behavefunctionreactperformconduct oneselfacquit oneselfbear oneselfrare:comport oneselfdeport oneself
   • 3. take effect; have a particular effect: "blood samples are analysed to find out how the drug acts in the body"
   • 4. perform a role in a play, film, or television: "she acted in her first professional role at the age of six" Similar performplayplay a parttake partbe an actorbe an actressbe one of the castappearinformal:tread the boards
   • ▪ behave so as to appear to be; pretend to be: "I acted dumb at first" Similar pretendplay-actshamfakefeignput it onbluffposeposturemasqueradedissembledissimulateinformal:kid

   noun

   • 1. a thing done; a deed: "a criminal act" Similar deedactiongesturefeatexploitmoveperformanceundertakingmanoeuvrestuntoperationventureeffortenterpriseachievementaccomplishment
   • ▪ a New Testament book immediately following the Gospels and relating the history of the early Church.
   • 2. a pretence: "she was putting on an act and laughing a lot" Similar pretencefalse displayshowfrontfacademasqueradecharadeguisepostureposeaffectationappearanceshamfakebluffhoaxmake-believeplay-actingfeigningshammingposturingposingcounterfeitsubterfugedissimulationdissemblancefabricationfalsificationinformal:a put-ona put-up job
   • ▪ a particular type of behaviour or routine: "he did his Sir Galahad act"
   • 3. a written law passed by Parliament, Congress, etc.: "the 1989 Children Act" Similar lawdecreestatutebillAct of Parliamentedictfiatdictumdictateenactmentresolutionrulingrulejudgementcanonordinanceproclamationcommandcommandmentmandatemeasurestipulationdirectionrequirementlegislationukasepronunciamento
   • ▪ a document attesting a legal transaction.
   • ▪ the recorded decisions or proceedings of a committee or an academic body. dated
   • 4. a main division of a play, ballet, or opera: "the first act" Similar divisionsectionsubsectionportionpartsegmentcomponentbitpassageepisodechapter
   • ▪ a set performance: "her one-woman poetry act" Similar performanceturnroutinenumberitempiecesketchskitplayletdancesongshowproductionpresentationentertainmentinformal:gig
   • ▪ a performing group: "an act called the Apple Blossom Sisters"

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Latin actus ‘event, thing done’, act- ‘done’, from the verb agere, reinforced by the French noun acte.

   Scrabble Points: 5

   • A

     1

   • C

     3

   • T

     1

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