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 Board’s recommendations are advisory, and Meta is not required to implement them, though the company has historically acted on roughly 75 percent of Board recommendations, which makes its response to this particular ruling worth watching. Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 23 June 2026 But the legislature has since acted to bolster local authority to regulate oil operations. Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026 Moll recorded several singles in the 1960s and acted steadily through 1970 in films made in Italy, France and Germany before dedicating herself to photography. Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2026 These small changes, when acted on, can improve ratings, which can then improve conversion rates, and subsequently improves profitability without requiring you to spend an extra dollar on ads. Usman Ilyas, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 Winfrey acted fast, aware of what would happen if the news of the incident went public. Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026 Throughout his trial, Anthony's defense argued the killer acted in self-defense. Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026 These teams then acted in cutthroat ways to buy out or otherwise dump them, however, when their play declined. James Mirtle, New York Times, 23 June 2026 The establishment of the fund comes less than two weeks after a district court judge ruled the Kennedy Center's board acted unlawfully in adding the president's name and in making plans for two years of closure and renovations. Emma Nicholson, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted
Verb
  • The smallest nation by size (171 square miles) and population — 158,000, or twice the size of Arrowhead Stadium’s capacity — stood with all fans as the national anthems for both teams played.
    Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 21 June 2026
  • Dalal said their son played there daily with his friends, taking advantage of a club policy that allows children under five to enter without a membership.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
Verb
  • La Roja needs quicker movement of the ball and its players, more adaptation to what the opponent is doing (Saudi Arabia is not going to play free and open after seeing what worked) and to be more ruthless.
    Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
  • Elmo Fire Department I‑20 westbound was closed as crews worked the scene.
    Doug Myers, CBS News, 21 June 2026
Verb
  • The legendary German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer seemed well-positioned to catch the ball.
    Tim Rohan, NBC news, 26 June 2026
  • The promise seemed straightforward.
    Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • Rhaenys served as a valuable member of Rhaenyra’s council, even going to stop Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) from taking Rook’s Rest for King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney), so Rhaenyra could stay back.
    Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026
  • Burnham served in cabinet roles under former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
    Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • Earlier that day, Parker — who had pretended to be pregnant for 10 months — stabbed her pregnant friend Reagan Simmons-Hancock 15 times, then performed a crude cesarean section, cutting the fetus out of her body with a scalpel and removing it from her uterus.
    Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026
  • In what prosecutors believe was a ploy to keep her boyfriend Wade Griffin, Parker pretended to be pregnant with their child.
    Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • One attack ad mocked Ossoff for playful college-era behavior.
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 18 June 2026
  • Just days before the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, a professional UFC fighter standing inside a cage erected on the South Lawn of the White House mocked former First Lady Michelle Obama by referring to her as a man.
    Sophia A. Nelson, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • Among the hundreds of surgeries performed over three decades by ElAttrache, his patients include the four 2024 MLB most valuable player and Cy Young Award winners — Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal.
    Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026
  • The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery reports that the average number of hair restoration surgeries performed per member in the past year is 178.
    Malana VanTyler, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • Pakistan has operated as a major mediator in US-Iran talks since a ceasefire was first announced.
    Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
  • Zelenskyy issued a decree on May 26 naming a military unit of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, which operated during the 1940s and 1950s and has been accused in Poland of mass killings.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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