caught in the act

idiom

: caught while doing something specified
He tried to rob a bank and was caught in the act.

Examples of caught in the act in a Sentence

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About 13 years ago, a similar heist was foiled when the culprits were caught in the act, the owner said. LAPD investigators say the recent burglars, after entering, cut the security camera feed, and there are no images of them inside the business. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025 Management is defending itself and the thief caught in the act while punishing the victim. Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025 According to a new paper published in the Journal of Ethology, California ground squirrels have been caught in the act—many times over—of chasing, killing, and eating voles. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 18 Dec. 2024 The charming canine, Barney, was caught in the act by his human, who uses the handle @mybestiebarney on TikTok. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for caught in the act

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Cite this Entry

“Caught in the act.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caught%20in%20the%20act. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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