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
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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
While Jafaar Jackson has never acted before, King saw him as the manifestation of the King of Pop, from his passion for music to his voice and personality.
—
Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Such extreme pessimism has historically acted as a contrarian indicator for markets, Hartnett said, with prior lows in sentiment coinciding with key turning points for equities, including in October 2023 and April 2025.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
There, Webber's attorney, Andrew Jezic, argued that his client acted in self-defense, the Associated Press reported.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Those patterns suggest that, at least so far, AI has acted as a productivity-enhancing tool that boosts employment and wages rather than a simple substitute for labor.
—Christos Makridis, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Tyrell Braxton, 26, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder in Musiwa’s killing, but Denver prosecutors dropped the criminal case against him in December 2023 after concluding Braxton may have acted in self-defense.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
Johnson has not yet acted on the Senate's DHS funding bill, which stripped out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Epstein acted as Ariane de Rothschild’s confidant and guide throughout this tumultuous time, the records show.
—Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office issued its report on the shooting, which determined that Allsup had acted lawfully during the incident and opened fire after Mohammed made a sudden movement toward the victim's throat after not complying with Allsup's commands.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Such extreme pessimism has historically acted as a contrarian indicator for markets, Hartnett said, with prior lows in sentiment coinciding with key turning points for equities, including in October 2023 and April 2025.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
There, Webber's attorney, Andrew Jezic, argued that his client acted in self-defense, the Associated Press reported.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Those patterns suggest that, at least so far, AI has acted as a productivity-enhancing tool that boosts employment and wages rather than a simple substitute for labor.
—Christos Makridis, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Tyrell Braxton, 26, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder in Musiwa’s killing, but Denver prosecutors dropped the criminal case against him in December 2023 after concluding Braxton may have acted in self-defense.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
Johnson has not yet acted on the Senate's DHS funding bill, which stripped out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Epstein acted as Ariane de Rothschild’s confidant and guide throughout this tumultuous time, the records show.
—Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office issued its report on the shooting, which determined that Allsup had acted lawfully during the incident and opened fire after Mohammed made a sudden movement toward the victim's throat after not complying with Allsup's commands.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted
Verb
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Arthur would have looked very different had another actor played him, according to the filmmaker.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Suffice it to say that eventually the tale of childhood catches up with the adult Sasha (played by Amy Zimmer), a filmmaker, who attempts to make sense of her past and Jeremy’s fate by undertaking her own investigation, at several decades’ remove.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sharing the ball helps fuel Magic winning streak The Magic got the win over the Bulls by sticking to what’s worked best during Orlando’s five-game winning streak.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The system worked properly to prevent tripping of additional breakers.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As of now, Imam has no plans to create a think tank or a second campus, even though those had seemed like good ideas when applying for the grant.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The big story Last December, when Amazon pledged a massive $35 billion investment in India including for digitizing over 12 million small businesses and enhancing logistical infrastructure, the scale of the commitment seemed disproportionate to the market’s size.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Hawks guard who also served as National Basketball Players Association president from 2021-2025, didn’t believe his actions warranted a technical foul.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
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Bertman’s judgment of me as a 13-year-old was typical of a maturity well beyond of his years and served him well his entire life.—
George Solomon,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Call center workers often pretended to be Apple or Microsoft employees.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
13 Apr. 2026
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Such stories play upon our own imaginings; anyone who’s run a toy car across the landscape of a floor, or pretended a planter was a jungle, or made a mountain out of a mound, or projected themselves into a model train layout — indeed, a scene here — will relate.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Szépvölgyi mocked the prime minister, who is 62, for seeming unsteady when boos erupted at one of his recent rallies.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
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There, a drag performer mocked the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum.—
Michael O'Boyle,
Bloomberg,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to Gunning, the doctors who originally performed her surgery (at an undisclosed location) agreed that her tummy tuck had failed and offered to fix it by performing surgery through Gunning's belly button to tighten the muscles.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
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At the same time, the film launched on Movistar Plus+ and performed extraordinarily well.—
Emiliano de Pablos,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Zelenskyy didn't identify the countries involved but said Ukrainian personnel operated across several nations, helping strengthen their air defense systems.—
Brian Dakss,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Reporting from Colorado News 9 in 2025 uncovered that Flock Safety had operated a pilot program that allowed federal agencies, such as Customs and Border Protection, to send invites to local law enforcement agencies.—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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