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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in entertainment
Related Words
1
as in playing
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
2
as in working
to produce a desired effect
the painkiller acted surprisingly quickly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in seeming
to give the impression of being
always acting helpless, just to get attention
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in serving
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 pretending
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 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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of acting
Max Rego, The Hill, 9 Oct. 2025
Leanne Kao, a city engineer and acting project manager, gave an update on plans to upgrade Dusty Rhodes Park, just south of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard from Robb Field.
—Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025
Ellise Shafer, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
This rankles some of her fans, particularly a stalker who begins murdering those boosting her acting ambitions.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025
The former instantly adds a second layer of security against unwanted guests, and the latter emits an ultra-loud alarm while acting like a door stop wedge, scaring off any stranger who tries to enter your room.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acting
Adjective
The five members of the committee are human rights advocate Jørgen Watne Frydnes, foreign policy scholar Asle Toje, former acting Norwegian Prime Minister Anne Enger, former Norwegian Minister of Education Kristin Clemet, and former Norwegian Foreign Affairs Secretary Gry Larsen.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 9 Oct. 2025
Leanne Kao, a city engineer and acting project manager, gave an update on plans to upgrade Dusty Rhodes Park, just south of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard from Robb Field.
—Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
And as for balancing her still-thriving acting career with music, Silvers plans on letting curiosity reign.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
This rankles some of her fans, particularly a stalker who begins murdering those boosting her acting ambitions.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
Drake is back in his acting bag.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025
The former instantly adds a second layer of security against unwanted guests, and the latter emits an ultra-loud alarm while acting like a door stop wedge, scaring off any stranger who tries to enter your room.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting
Adjective
-
In October 2024, Chinese warships visited Chittagong—the first foreign naval vessels to do so after the establishment of the interim Bangladeshi government—signaling a major geopolitical shift.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled former Syrian President Bashar Assad last December and was named the country's interim leader in January.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Some are made for entertainment or education, while others focus on emotional support or companionship.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Headquartered in London, Longwave will focus on factual content for the global TV market across all unscripted genres – from investigative series, factual entertainment formats through to human interest stories.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Nobody will hold Gjoshe to his hopeful timescale of playing again within a month.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
What's the most difficult part of playing a character like Peter?—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Of those, about 44,000 were working adults and 42,000 were working for an employer, according to the report.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Singaporean transit company ComfortDelGro, meanwhile, is working with Pony AI to explore offering robotaxis, while Lyft is collaborating with Baidu to test its Apollo Go self-driving cars in Europe.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Smith’s Charlie is seen as the new Henley (Fisher), seeming content out of the spotlight until taking centerstage.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
-
In the 10 years since setting up shop, the women have risen to become the most powerful divorce lawyers in Los Angeles, possibly the country, albeit while seeming to do very little actual lawyering.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The extreme survival competition is returning to its Monday 8 PM slot, serving as a launch pad for Memory of a Killer.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Altra Running global brand president Jen McLaren, Vibram president and global brand chief officer Fabrizio Gamberini and Saucony vice president Ted Fitzpatrick will take part in the discussion, with FN senior digital news writer Ian Servantes serving as moderator.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
However, Cena outsmarted him by grabbing the chair, throwing it next to Dom, and pretending to be down on the mat.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
In the 43-part series, Monroe calls several churches and other places of worship pretending to be a mother in need of formula for her baby.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
These contrivances became so well known that, in 2009, the All-American Rejects guitarist Nick Wheeler spent much of his appearance mocking them.—
Kim Hew-Low,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The music video is a single shot of Welch in the back of a car, singing along in a suit, sporting shades and a cigar, both mocking and inhabiting the position of male dominance.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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