: the art or practice of representing a character on a stage or before cameras
1
: holding a temporary rank or position : performing services temporarily
acting president
2
a
: suitable for stage performance
an acting play
b
: prepared with directions for actors
an acting text of a play
Examples of acting in a Sentence
Noun
Her acting is unusually good in this film.
a new style of acting
Adjective
The college's acting president will be replaced with a permanent one next fall.
will serve as acting president of the university until a permanent replacement can be found
Recent Examples on the Web
Christine Baranski, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2025
Any number of known and unknown factors could easily change that trajectory, so waiting for further rate cuts in 2026 to justify acting is a risky decision.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 1 Dec. 2025
In 1985, Goldberg made her major acting debut, playing Celie in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acting
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Noun
Also starring Glenn Close and the young Cynthia Nixon, the play was a solid-gold Broadway smash, earning Tony Awards for best play, best direction, and best acting awards for Jeremy, Glenn, and me.
—Christine Baranski, Vogue, 5 Dec. 2025
Any number of known and unknown factors could easily change that trajectory, so waiting for further rate cuts in 2026 to justify acting is a risky decision.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Perhaps the real acting find here is O’Leary, the bad-guy shark from Shark Tank who is one of many non-acting finds Safdie likes to pepper his casts with.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 1 Dec. 2025
In 1985, Goldberg made her major acting debut, playing Celie in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acting
Cite this Entry
“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acting. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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