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 The assistant also sometimes acted as a go-between for Combs and one of his girlfriends who used the pseudonym Jane in court. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 Recognizing the health, environmental, and tourism dangers of such a title, residents acted quickly to turn things around. — Daliah Singer, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026 Price pulled back briefly to the $203 to $215 range, which acted as the post-earnings base, and then extended again through September to current price of $238. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026 The larger forms also acted as propositions for where The Ouze might go next, extending the same sculptural language beyond jewelry and into furniture, fashion, and the home. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026 Neither party acted on it; Republicans wanted to avoid embarrassing Trump, while Democrats wanted to avoid embarrassing Nancy Pelosi, whose husband is an active trader. — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026 Granoff acted as an advisor and dealer to Schlumberger, who preferred not to vaunt her collection to Parisian high society. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026 The light pink base fabric acted as a canvas for the green leaves and florals strewn all over the chiffon material of the vintage design. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026 On the greatest night of his greatest coaching feat, Sarkisian acted without grace or a shred of tact. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted
Verb
  • Kerry’s son Noah (played by Shea Pritchard) seems to be doing well for himself, at least, as a kid with college prospects.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The Pentagon spokesperson pushed back on that characterization, questioning how OSC could have played a role if that were the case.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Gerber worked as a model, including in 2018, at age 18, as the face of Calvin Klein Jeans’ global advertising campaign, along with his sister, Kaia Gerber.
    — Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Capturing wave energy Simulations showed that the strategy worked across a surprisingly broad range of wave frequencies.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • To her, there was nothing about the real Beck that seemed necessary to hide.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The Astros’ fans seemed to appreciate Perez having fun, and after all these years, no one plays the game with more glee.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The nephew of late music star Dolly Parton who served as her longtime head of security confirms he was fired after her death, and said a restraining order has been requested against him by the corporation that runs Parton's entertainment empire.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Hafoka has served on the organization’s board since 2000, when it was founded by her mother, Catherine ‘Ofa Mann.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The story goes that the couple had gone home from his show, and the husband pretended to be the Lovemaster.
    — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The indie film is about a pair of Scottish rappers who pretended to be American to get a record deal.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Afroman went on to publish songs and music videos taunting the deputies, including one called Lemon Pound Cake that mocked the portly deputy for his apparent interest in the cake.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Trump has mocked French President Emmanuel Macron in speeches.
    — Josh Boak, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Hundreds crowded around the Adidas store as the KU pep band and cheerleaders performed for about a half hour.
    — Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Emergency crews performed life-saving measures before Blue was pronounced dead at the scene.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Since 2018, Hialeah’s libraries operated as their own independent city department, answering directly to the mayor and council rather than sitting under a larger agency.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
  • An onboard safety pilot remained present throughout the flight but never operated the aircraft’s controls.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Acted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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