acted

past tense of act
1
2
as in worked
to produce a desired effect the painkiller acted surprisingly quickly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in served
to have a certain purpose the tail feathers of woodpeckers act as props while the birds excavate tree trunks for insects

Synonyms & Similar Words

5
6
as in mocked
to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior someone who is willing to act the helpless little thing when she wants attention

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of acted And so, the power of a far-right billionaire who has long acted with impunity will also be checked — another priceless win for democracy. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026 Tomorrow acted as a licensor and distributor across its portfolio of brands, receiving all revenues and paying royalties to brands based on their individual deals. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026 This giant stardust cloud acted like a literal screen, blocking a substantial portion of the star's light from our viewpoint. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 3 Nov. 2026 Some believe that Barack Obama acted too timidly when Republicans refused to co-sign a letter warning of Russian interference in that campaign. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026 Moreover, by strengthening the minilateral latticework, countries close to Russia would enhance their capacity to act together before NATO acted collectively. — Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026 The human acted as a contextual filter, quietly absorbing data ambiguity. — Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026 The nonprofit Public Citizen noted that Kennedy seems to have acted unilaterally rather than through the typical rulemaking process. — Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026 James initially acted as his own attorney in challenging his detention as unlawful, calling himself a Jamaica native and claiming citizenship in Lebanon. — Ryan J. Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted
Verb
  • Both came on fourth down, after the Chiefs had played gallantly near the goal line.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Taaffe and JuJu Brents, who had both played generally well for six games, each was beaten on TD passes in the second half, when Maye went 9 for 10 for 148 yards.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Kelly, who lost to High in the primaries and later worked full time for him, attributed the defeat to general discontent with the Democratic party.
    — Roger Simmons, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The reigning Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year, who was a rodeo cowboy in his youth, has worked with Justin Boots on a collection of men’s boots.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • These systems, which are based on mathematical structures called neural networks, excel at cognitive tasks that until recently seemed exclusive to humans.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Raman’s position on the precipice of ascending to the mayoralty would have seemed nearly unthinkable at the start of the year, when Bass’ challengers included Pratt, former LAUSD Supt.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Listyo previously served as national police chief after being appointed by then-President Joko Widodo in 2021.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2026
  • While not a doctor, Xavier Becerra, who served as health secretary in the Biden administration, cruised in his race to become California governor.
    — Sarah Todd, STAT, 4 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • In 17 of those 19 times, the chatbot cited one of the outlets that pretended to be a local news site.
    — Huo Jingnan, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors said Navarrete then drove to his parents’ home with his children and pretended to discovered his parents were dead.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Tonight, Musk lamented and maybe even mocked his own efforts.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Trump couldn’t stop himself Hearing his taste criticized, all his beautiful, shiny gold mocked — by Obama of all people — was rage-bait that Trump could not ignore.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The film includes a live recording of Pascal Dusapin’s Flying River, Violin Concerto, performed by Utopia Orchestra and conducted by Giuseppe Mengoli.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Her band has also warmed up crowds at Dallas Cowboys games and performed at the Houston Rodeo.
    — Zoey Goto, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In tests, algorithms using F³ operated roughly two to five times faster than previous approaches.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
  • One of the helicopters was operated by Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a helicopter flight training school and rental service for private flights, the company said in a statement.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Acted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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