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 After the pair had finally acted on latent feelings for each other and decided to be together, Oona first broached the topic of Ramona leaving for New York and leaving her behind when Ramona pitched it as a not-yet final decision. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026 Security video of the early April 9 morning burglary shows three men entered the business through a broken window, smashed the machines with sledge hammers and pried out the boxes while a fourth man acted as lookout, the report said. Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 Artificial intelligence models from two top tech firms acted on their own to adopt fake identities and deceive humans in a recent string of cyberattacks, the AI Security Institute (AISI), a United Kingdom government agency, said on Wednesday. Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 And perhaps their age difference didn’t register for some because Burke often acted like a kid himself. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026 MoSe2 acted as the top layer in this setup, hosting electrons, while the bottom WSe2 layer hosted electron holes. Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2026 Police said the suspect acted alone and an investigation remained ongoing. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Moreno has previously claimed that Miller had acted violently toward her, including holding a gun to her head. Adam England, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026 The World Cup acted as South Downtown’s debut, packing the area with traveling fans and locals taking their first look at downtown Atlanta’s next era. Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted
Verb
  • In a clip posted to her Instagram Stories, the Duchess of Sussex wore her pajamas while cooking breakfast as music played in the background.
    Hannah Malach, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Upon her return to Chase Center, Los Angeles Sparks guard Kate Martin receives a pregame tribute video and a standing ovation; Martin played one season for the Valkyries before being cut in training camp this year.
    Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • If there’s no progress, however, Kayimpa – who worked for a private health organization in Bunia before joining the Ebola effort – is ready to walk out again.
    Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Relievers Tyson Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock and Jovani Morán worked an inning apiece to complete a four-hitter, Boston's 11th shutout of the season.
    CBS News, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Clancy brought her daughter, Cora, to the pediatrician just hours before the killings, and nothing seemed amiss, the pediatrician testified.
    Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Missouri’s last rider, Kade Madsen, had too much ground to make up but still seemed poised to put up a qualifying ride.
    Ava DiCecca, Sun Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Roughly a decade ago, Stapleton served as Guns N’ Roses’ one-off opener at the band’s concert at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium concert in July 2016.
    Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The grilled Spam and cheese sliders ($16), with thin slices of Spam seared crisp served on Hawaiian buns with pineapple-jalapeno chutney, are a flavor bomb.
    Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Unafraid of sinking as low as possible at the welfare office, Dennis pretended to be recovering from a crack problem while Dee feigned intellectual disability, but the caseworker wasn’t buying it.
    Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
  • The hacker pretended to be one of the furniture company's employees and changed the vendor's bank account on file with Children's.
    Irene Wright, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Verb
  • El-Sayed accused Stevens of representing a failing political establishment and mocked the outside spending supporting her campaign.
    Nik Popli, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Since the education minister's resignation, Modi has also spoken of forgiving those who had mocked the prime minister, an apparent effort to reconnect with younger audiences.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In the past year since the outbreak of Israel’s siege of Lebanon, Wakim, Elassal, and Aukar have all performed shows in the country.
    Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Following the hormone injections, an outpatient procedure is performed to retrieve the eggs from the ovaries.
    Isabel Danzis, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Firestar operated a large factory inside Surat’s Special Economic Zone, a duty-free enclave that allowed the company to cut, polish and manufacture jewelry for export markets.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Our navigation system, flood damage reduction projects, and water supply reservoirs are operated and maintained by people most Arkansans will never hear about.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Acted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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