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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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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5
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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
Her last acting role was a return to voice acting, a free-to-play video game in 2016. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 June 2026 His first acting role was in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III (1990). — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 9 June 2026
Noun
Born in Tunisia and raised in Italy, Talem’s life and acting career has straddled Europe and the Middle East. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026 All three daughters have kept their lives away from the spotlight, with only a few red carpet appearances and rare acting stints alongside their famous dad. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
However, both of his sons make their acting debuts in the film. — Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2026 Now, Deadline can reveal that another Scrubs standout, Kastl, also is expected to be back for Season 2 in his first acting gig in almost two decades. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for acting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting
Adjective
  • ConnCAT had already announced that a member of the ConnCORP board, Malcolm Ellis, would serve as its interim director as the search for a permanent leader gets underway.
    — P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Longtime city employee Megan Van Voorhis was appointed to fill Dignan’s position on an interim basis.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Max Goldbart here taking you through a week in which one of the biggest entertainment deals of this century was waved through.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • That money is split among entertainment-industry health and retirement funds, the Motion Picture & Television Fund and a National Association of Attorneys General fund.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In catching 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns against Illinois Saturday, Smith again looked like the high school star playing against ninth graders on the JV team.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Ukraine eliminated two-time defending champion Italy in the semifinals and was playing its first final.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Cotton kept a separate $855,000 award by the jury to Avila’s sister, Patricia Avila, who was working with Maria when the attack happened, intact.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • McGuire said the country’s murder rate is at a 126-year low and argued that falling fentanyl deaths and drug trafficking are evidence that the administration’s border and law enforcement policies are working.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Staff described students as often seeming physically and mentally worn down and checked out.
    — Crystal Cederna, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Others show pitas and sandwiches with sauces spread in a latticed pattern, or tortillas with odd speckles that might be the computer’s attempt at natural-seeming char from a comal.
    — Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But a 2012 Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) action barred the platform from serving US customers—its most important user base—and Intrade shuttered soon thereafter.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The Riverside restaurant is by day a poolside grill serving sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, and for dinner offers a Bistronomy menu of upscale international dishes.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Brown's fourth-quarter touchdown celebration included putting his hand to his crotch and then to his face before pretending to pass out.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • If Gayle Newland had been a cis man who had seduced Miss X by pretending to be Kye Fortune, the case would have fallen outside the McNally principle, and Miss X would have had very little chance of having her complaint heard.
    — S. C. Cornell, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Five times in the last two months, the president has sneered at and insulted female reporters, mocking their appearance or dismissing their credentials.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • In 2020, then-ESPN commentator Mark Jones shared posts mocking 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa after Bosa suffered a serious knee injury.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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