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 while lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have questioned their legality, Republicans — who currently control both the House and the Senate — have not acted. — Alayna Treene, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 That same encouragement carried over to the design of Blackwood’s home, too, where Haughton acted as the contractor. — Camille Okhio, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026 Nothing can change how the NHL has acted over the four years since the launch of the Russian ground offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. — Dominik Hasek, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026 Few banks acted on that authorization because of fear of sanctions and a lack of guidance on how to comply. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 Last week, OpenAI disclosed several instances from the summer in which its agents acted in unexpected ways while searching federal government websites. — Kelvin Chan, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 Agentic payments could create a new form of friendly fraud if consumers can approve an agent’s purchase, receive the product or service and later claim that the AI acted independently. — Louis Hoch, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted
Verb
  • One recent three-month period saw the release of three film adaptations of acclaimed novels in which ghosts played a starring role.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The 30-year-old actress, who was named the Chinese brand ambassador for Kors last March, made her acting debut at 10 and has played numerous roles in historical, fantasy and romantic dramas.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Lindvall gained experience with Ludovic de Saint Sernin and the Swedish Fashion Council; Idink worked with independent designer showrooms.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Everything worked flawlessly; the carriage deposited them onto the highway.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Stillness, which had seemed ontologically secondary to the art form, now gained distinction as a substantive component.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The majority of guests in the summer seemed to be American, British, Japanese, and Chinese.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Prior to joining Nirvana Brands this year, Budge was a senior vice president and general manager at Morphe’s former parent company, Forma Brands, and before that served as CEO at Omorovicza Cosmetics.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Formal afternoon tea is served, too, with the savory and sweet accompaniments prepared through an Indonesian lens.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The pope, formerly Robert Prevost, grew up in a deeply Catholic family in Chicago where the three sons all served as altar boys in church, their parents led nightly recitations of the Rosary and young Robert pretended to be a priest.
    — Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Nike’s experimented with other applications such as mules and tennis shoes, but the results were mocked if not downright disastrous.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update mocked Donald Trump‘s actions while hosting his Chinese counterpart for a three-day state visit, as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s transphobic military mantra.
    — William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The third, Surrender, is a massage performed in water, in which the buoyancy and warmth allow the body to completely relax and let go.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Risks vary with gestational age, a patient's medical history, the procedure performed and the circumstances of the pregnancy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In response to the renaming of the theater, a number of independent theaters across France symbolically operated under the banner of René Vautier on Friday, in a show of solidarity for the cinema and its staff.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The company has operated a Green Apron Creator Program, paying baristas to create social media content during dedicated shifts.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Acted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!