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
Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
The New York native's final acting role was as Aunt Bethany in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Her lovely 2022 short film, Bus Girl, received a BAFTA nomination, and that seems to have whet her appetite for more filmmaking and less acting.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
Clayton Davis, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026
Other uses include making this an easy-to-build addition to your current home, acting as an in-law suite or guest house in your backyard.
—Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for acting
Adjective
Delcy Rodríguez, Nicolás Maduro’s loyal deputy and the acting Vice-President at the time of his ouster, has stepped into the role of the country’s interim leader.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
The New York native's final acting role was as Aunt Bethany in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
Noun
The two discussed Dane's acting career, living with and advocating for ALS, but mostly, Dane's resilience through hardships and love for his family.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Her lovely 2022 short film, Bus Girl, received a BAFTA nomination, and that seems to have whet her appetite for more filmmaking and less acting.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
Buckley appears to be the closest thing to a near-lock in any acting race.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026
Other uses include making this an easy-to-build addition to your current home, acting as an in-law suite or guest house in your backyard.
—Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for acting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting
Adjective
-
Head coach Igor Tudor had only five days to work with the squad after replacing Thomas Frank on an interim basis until the end of the season.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The board of the South Broward Hospital District (Memorial Healthcare System) abdicated its leadership role and allowed Strum to take over as Memorial’s interim CEO.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The deal comes alongside a fresh $100 million credit facility, from a separate, soon to be revealed entity, that will underpin both BondIt’s existing lending business and its push into new areas including live entertainment, sports, and the creator economy.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Spending time reading with, singing with, or playing games with close pals and family is at the heart of Danish happiness and hygge-ness.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Karen was last seen playing outside her home on January 11, 1996, according to CNN affiliate KOLD.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
According to a statement, a working knowledge of surgical procedures would have been necessary, as the Pazyryk lived in harsh conditions that threatened their lives.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Their analysis also adjusts their net workforce inflow numbers by estimating the volume of working age adults not encountered by federal agents.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Pittsburgh retook the lead with five runs in the bottom of the eighth, helped in part by a seeming double play grounder that took a bad hop and struck Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek in the throat.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
With the many complications involved in collecting DNA evidence – and time seeming to be a major enemy of finding Guthrie safe and sound – Moore said the Guthrie family could plead for more access to records from the top genealogy websites that have been very reluctant to take part.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The series currently under development will stage a competition to find a new member of the show's elite squad of ballroom aces, with current pro Mark Ballas and his mother, English ballroom legend Shirley Ballas, serving as judges.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The brainchild of Thomaston’s Jay Fredlund, the playscapes that were no longer viable for area municipalities were carefully disassembled, packed into 40-foot sea containers and shipped to missions in Guatemala where they were reassembled by service teams serving ministries.—
Sarah Kyrcz,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There wouldn’t have been any point to our pretending not to be Jewish, because everybody thought of us as Jewish and that would never change.—
Nicholas Lemann,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The series of snaps opens with the singer pretending to chat on an old-fashioned rotary dial phone while wearing a brown animal-print coat with leather and feather accents.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This self-mocking move may be just the prelude to a fuller jeans-guy renaissance, Heffernan suggested.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Strickland said, mocking NFL leadership.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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