acting 1 of 3

Definition of actingnext
as in interim
serving in a position for the time being will serve as acting president of the university until a permanent replacement can be found

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

acting

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noun

acting

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verb

present participle of act
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as in serving
to have a certain purpose the tail feathers of woodpeckers act as props while the birds excavate tree trunks for insects

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as in mocking
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

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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 acting
Adjective
His first acting role was in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III (1990). Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 9 June 2026 Her most notable acting role was on The Bold and the Beautiful. Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026
Noun
The danger of good dramatic acting roles is answering those questions. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026 Despite a busy acting career, Kidman told Extra in July that her family always comes first, which was backed up by Kidman’s co-star Zoe Saldaña. Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
Section 250 expands on that by dictating that a corporation or partnership may be held liable when a senior manager commits any crime — not just economic offenses — while acting under actual or apparent authority. Nana Ama Sarfo, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 For traders, the stop is below $83, the 50-day moving average that has been acting as support recently. Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting
Adjective
  • Liverpool looks to level up after last season’s comedown and Manchester United has a shot at improving on its goal-harrying run under interim manager Michael Carrick.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • While both sides have indicated that an interim agreement is forthcoming, with the president even Truthing Wednesday that a deal had been reached, it hasn’t been finalized.
    Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Except that’s how the entertainment business works these days, and those deals did pay them millions (the Netflix production deal was reported to be in the $100-million range).
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • There is a popular misconception that home entertainment has steadily diminished theatrical exhibition.
    Cory Jacobson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Janssens would be one of those defenders playing in front of Suzuki in a new environment.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Manchester City’s defence was wide open in Sunday’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and that could be a sign of things to come now that Rodri is playing for Barcelona in La Liga.
    Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Equipment will continue working, account information won’t change, and pricing and current plans will stay the same.
    AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Manning began her career at Fullscreen Media, working with digital creators to build multi-platform media businesses, develop original IP and structure cross-platform deals.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • There, the seeming underdog DB team of Dallas pulverized LA's top-notch singles squad 21-11 in shocking dominance by Townsend over Parker in particular (8-0) to send this to the third match on Sunday.
    Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But there is a vast expanse of political real estate between blindly handing the Dreamers $975 million and barely seeming interested in the possibility of bringing Major League Baseball to Central Florida.
    Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Hansen’s sentence was first reduced to 25 years to life, and the state later created a pathway to earlier parole for many youthful offenders serving life sentences.
    Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Calls to abolish capital punishment or increase transparency have grown after the 2024 acquittal of the world's longest-serving death-row inmate, Iwao Hakamada.
    CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • But pretending botanical kratom can’t cause dependence is also dishonest.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Commenters will often take the joke further, by pretending to take the joke seriously and suggesting that those filmed be canceled.
    David Mack, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • These included Mao Zedong of China and Kim Il Sung of North Korea, as well as one mocking Ho Chi Minh, the father of Vietnam’s communist revolution.
    Sopheng Cheang, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
  • On Douban, a popular Chinese movie-review platform, viewers piled on with mocking and bewildered comments.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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