1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

act (toward)

verb

Definition of act (toward)next
as in to be (to)
to behave toward in a stated way I would never act toward my boss that way

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for act (toward)
  1. treat
  2. serve
  3. handle
Verb
  • The company is increasingly treating ordinary-looking eyewear as a platform for computing, AI, communication, and now hearing assistance.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Others may reduce benefits or consolidate staff, potentially limiting their ability to treat and serve patients.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of treat
Verb
  • Audience jeers council’s I-77 decision Mayfield, who serves council at-large, motioned to keep Charlotte from changing its previous vote against the toll lanes.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The improvements would put roughly 100 megawatts total of emission-free electricity on the power grid, which the utility already is expanding at an unprecedented rate to serve data centers.
    — Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of serve
Verb
  • Seguin said the aircraft handled well during the first flight.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Fall might feel like the time for a long list of gardening tasks instead of new planting, but there are lots of leafy greens that retain their best flavor in cooler temperatures, and can even handle a surprise cold snap or two.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of handle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

acts up
act (toward)
actual
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Act (toward).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20%28toward%29. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All