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
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
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Also, with age comes experience, Gellar adds, hinting that her acting is better than ever.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
Aside from his cameo on Fuller House, Ewing's most recent acting credit was in 2017's A Very Sordid Wedding, the sequel to the cult hit Sordid Lives starring the late Olivia Newton-John.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
When The Runarounds began filming, the director and EP then brought in an acting coach and wrote the script to versions of the band members.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acting
Adjective
The acting didn’t bother me, but the directing did.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Also, with age comes experience, Gellar adds, hinting that her acting is better than ever.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
The project is nominated for three Emmys, including best comedy series and acting nods for Bell and Brody.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
Aside from his cameo on Fuller House, Ewing's most recent acting credit was in 2017's A Very Sordid Wedding, the sequel to the cult hit Sordid Lives starring the late Olivia Newton-John.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
Although no publicly available evaluation has classified Stines as mentally deficient, a number of coworkers and friends interviewed by state police said Stines was acting strangely in the days leading up to the shooting of Mullins.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
When The Runarounds began filming, the director and EP then brought in an acting coach and wrote the script to versions of the band members.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for acting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting
Adjective
-
Grundyson was named interim fire chief when Chief Donna Lake retired in January 2023 after a 30-year career with the department.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Early runners and riders include Jonathan Allan, Channel 4’s interim CEO, and All3Media CEO Jane Turton.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Though his interests were that of a pretty typical child — computing and gaming, playing the saxophone, enjoying soccer and time with his pets — he was also known for his acts of kindness and generosity.—
Lauren Costantino
September 6,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The Chiefs also were playing without rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals, who is recovering from an injury.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Former director of football Kevin Thelwell and Dan Purdy, two key drivers of the initial interest in Rohl, have since left the club and are working for Rangers in Scotland.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
He's Delivered the Opposite | Opinion Venezuela has a unified and organized opposition that has been working tirelessly to prepare for this moment.—
Kristina Foltz,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Many of the workers typing away for long hours inside these compounds have, like Sara, been tricked into working there, typically after responding to Facebook ads for legitimate-seeming jobs overseas.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Even as liberal-seeming Amir invites Yusuf to join the Muslim Association, an informal organization of male Arab landowners, Yusuf’s father is killed in a night-time confrontation with the settlers.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Affordable Care Act in 2010 expanded access to the reviews, but barriers regularly get in the way of the process serving as a true check on insurers.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
With four meats to choose from, each 6-inch sub has fewer than 500 calories, at least 20 grams of protein and a full-serving size of vegetables, according to the sandwich chain.—
Helena Wegner,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The challenge is to stop pretending the current tools give full control and start demanding real visibility.—
Jagadeesh Kunda,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Kelley susses out that Göring is pretending not to understand or speak English, and for a couple of scenes that gives the shrink a leg up.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The key to his performance is empathy — Early resists mocking Maddie or her struggles at every turn.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
This is all on top of the late-night TV and social media posts mocking him, countless Democrats campaigning against him, and endless news and opinion articles calling him everything from a felon to a rapist to a threat to democracy to Hitler.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
During the annual Rhythm & Roots Reunion festival, Shanghai is the first to set up a stage for performing bands.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Yungblud is performing at the 2025 MTV VMAs as part of a special tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, who died at age 76 on July 22.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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