1
as in played
to present a portrayal or performance of
a local student acted the part of Tiny Tim in our theater company's production of A Christmas Carol
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
3
as in seemed
to give the impression of being
always acting helpless, just to get attention
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
as in pretended
to present a false appearance of
if you act confident long enough, you'll begin to actually feel it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of acted
Craig Stingley, who is Black, and others in the community protested the decision, claiming the three men — all white — were not good Samaritans but had acted violently to kill a Black youth with impunity.
—
Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026
Szulc learned Méndez Aguilar’s phone contained contacts from both the Juárez Cartel and CJNG and an American living in El Paso who acted as a middleman.
—Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
But the high-speed footage acted like a time-lapse movie of the destruction, allowing the team to map every oscillation in real time.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026
An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Therefore, when the government has acted as a financier, there are precedents for payout limits, noted Cunningham.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026
The Canadian actress has acted in several movies and television shows over her three-decade-long career.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Trump officials say the ICE agent acted in self-defense, but Democrats and others argue videos contradict the administration’s account of events.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Ohio's state House passed the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act in late 2025, but has not been acted on in the state Senate.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026
Szulc learned Méndez Aguilar’s phone contained contacts from both the Juárez Cartel and CJNG and an American living in El Paso who acted as a middleman.
—Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2026
But the high-speed footage acted like a time-lapse movie of the destruction, allowing the team to map every oscillation in real time.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026
An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Therefore, when the government has acted as a financier, there are precedents for payout limits, noted Cunningham.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Jan. 2026
The Canadian actress has acted in several movies and television shows over her three-decade-long career.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Trump officials say the ICE agent acted in self-defense, but Democrats and others argue videos contradict the administration’s account of events.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Ohio's state House passed the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act in late 2025, but has not been acted on in the state Senate.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted
Verb
-
Trojans add two to special teams Long snapper Dylan Black and punter Lachlan Carrigan, both of whom played for Memphis last season, each committed to USC out of the transfer portal, rounding out the Trojans’ special teams unit.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Werner has 24 goals in 57 games for the German national team and played in the 2018 World Cup.—
Mercury News,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Dumas has worked for Valero for four years but just moved to the Benicia location from Arizona a year ago, just a few months before the energy company announced a possible plan to cease or idle operations.—
Amanda Hari,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Steve Sarkisian worked for Saban twice at Alabama.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Free agent winger Calvin Harris seemed a bit more likely to re-sign with the Rapids, but his absence from preseason narrows those odds.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Still, mainstream Democrats and the Democratic Party seemed inclined to hitch their fates to many of the issues which currently define a politics of domination, like threatening Venezuela or increasing ICE funding, even though for the first time, more voters want to abolish ICE than to keep it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Miami's Mario Cristobal served several roles at Alabama from assistant head coach to recruiting coordinator while being part of the 2015 championship that also included Lanning as a grad assistant.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Warren arrived at Boise State in 2022 and spent four seasons with the Broncos, having previously served as the head coach of the Big Sky’s Southern Utah for six seasons.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Rudd then pretended to be in severe pain as paramedics hauled him away, presumably to a hospital.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Humanoid robots shadowboxed, danced and pretended to run small shops.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The 45-year-old's work at the CBS Evening News desk was even criticized by fellow TV personality Megyn Kelly, who relentlessly mocked Dokoupil for crying during a CBS News Miami clip that saw him being interviewed by a local broadcaster and subsequently crying over memories of his childhood.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Google even subtly mocked the iPhone’s AI shortcomings in ads promoting the release of its latest Pixel phone last summer.—
Michael Liedtke,
Fortune,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For example, Medicare reimburses $1,375 for a colonoscopy performed in a hospital outpatient department — and $862 for one performed in an independent ambulatory surgery center.—
Tomas J. Philipson,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The officers performed lifesaving measures until EMS arrived at the scene.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Otay bridge shelter, which opened in 2023 and is operated by nonprofit City Net, has graduated over 100 people into permanent housing.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Cleggett was the owner of a sober home business that operated in Boston, Wakefield, Quincy, and Weymouth.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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