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 nonprofit Public Citizen noted that Kennedy seems to have acted unilaterally rather than through the typical rulemaking process. — Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 28 Oct. 2026 James initially acted as his own attorney in challenging his detention as unlawful, calling himself a Jamaica native and claiming citizenship in Lebanon. — Ryan J. Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026 The managers who acted on the data were the ones who already had the instinct and the spare time. — Simon De Baene, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026 In addition, the jury found the two deputies acted with reckless disregard and awarded $10 million in punitive damages. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Serving light bites developed with chef Noof Al Marri, the Qatar Lounge acted as a prelude to the second edition of Art Basel Qatar in January. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 Police on Tuesday arrested a suspect in the arson attack that charred the historic city hall in Limoges, in central France, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said, adding that the person may not have acted alone. — Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026 The academy is asking for an administrative hearing and a determination that the department acted outside its authority. — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Zimbardo acted as the prison’s superintendent, observing and recording the experiment. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted
Verb
  • Both came on fourth down, after the Chiefs had played gallantly near the goal line.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Taaffe and JuJu Brents, who had both played generally well for six games, each was beaten on TD passes in the second half, when Maye went 9 for 10 for 148 yards.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Kelly, who lost to High in the primaries and later worked full time for him, attributed the defeat to general discontent with the Democratic party.
    — Roger Simmons, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The reigning Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year, who was a rodeo cowboy in his youth, has worked with Justin Boots on a collection of men’s boots.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • In my view, the Sentinel seemed to base this on Culver’s suspension from office as the one and only factor.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Her human slogan machine rap seemed more like a complement to JT’s malleable traditionalism rather than the other way around.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Lowndes, who has served as Maitland’s mayor since 2021 and is set to resign Tuesday, said soaring costs for property insurance are a big part of the affordability problem in housing.
    — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, the cursor task served as a test of the underlying control interface.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In 17 of those 19 times, the chatbot cited one of the outlets that pretended to be a local news site.
    — Huo Jingnan, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors said Navarrete then drove to his parents’ home with his children and pretended to discovered his parents were dead.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That may earn her the admiration of her college comrades, but at home, she’s seen as an idealistic naif — mocked, in particular, by her older brother Milan (Miodrag Dragicevic), who is staunchly right-wing in his sympathies.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Utah removed the video and apologized, while ESPN defended McAfee’s safety concerns; online reaction largely mocked his response.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The film includes a live recording of Pascal Dusapin’s Flying River, Violin Concerto, performed by Utopia Orchestra and conducted by Giuseppe Mengoli.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Her band has also warmed up crowds at Dallas Cowboys games and performed at the Houston Rodeo.
    — Zoey Goto, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In tests, algorithms using F³ operated roughly two to five times faster than previous approaches.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
  • One of the helicopters was operated by Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a helicopter flight training school and rental service for private flights, the company said in a statement.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Acted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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