act on/upon

phrasal verb

acted on/upon; acting on/upon; acts on/upon
: to use (something, such as a feeling or suggestion) as a reason or basis for doing something
They never acted on the information they had.
It's okay to feel angry or jealous, but you mustn't act on those feelings.

Examples of act on/upon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The same man who once earnestly referred to himself as a prophet is now paralyzed by his inability to either have or act on any firm conviction; the veneer of his certainty in his own power has been stripped away. Iva Dixit, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023 Trichologist Anabel Kingsley adds that each will act on the follicle and growth phases in different ways. Neha Tandon, Glamour, 13 Sep. 2023 The agency’s administrator, Herman Andaya, also did not act on recommendations by residents and others that the county broaden its outdoor warning sirens to include wildfires. Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023 That’s the second-most appearances of any act on the chart; a leading six Taylor Swift songs infuse the first survey. Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 14 Sep. 2023 After the settlement, two Fox Corp. shareholders sued board members in April for failing to act on risks of defamation litigation and damaging the company’s reputation — arguments similar to those made by the New York funds. Katie Robertson, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023 As more people die from Republican supermajorities’ refusal to act on guns or climate, the deferential ‘political question’ doctrine begins to look foolish. Sabrina Haake, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2023 People who are sick, hungry or unsafe will not have the privilege to act on climate change. Katie Weeman, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2023 Mechanism of action: Fladrafinil works by increasing levels of dopamine and histamine in the brain, while Hydrafinil is believed to act on the cholinergic system to increase brain acetyl-choline levels. The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'act on/upon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near act on/upon

Cite this Entry

“Act on/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/act%20on%2Fupon. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!