ACTS Synonyms: 215 Similar and Opposite Words

acts 1 of 2

noun

plural of act

as in routines

a performance regularly presented by an individual or group in his nightclub act he impersonates a veritable galaxy of movie stars

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as in shows

a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive was putting on an act when she said she didn't mind being left out of the outing

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as in laws

a rule of conduct or action laid down by a governing authority and especially a legislature the Americans with Disabilities Act requires public buildings to have wheelchair access

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higher laws

as in things

something done by someone it's acts such as this—lying about having to work late—that make me feel like I can't trust you

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acts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of act

as in plays

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

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as in works

to produce a desired effect the painkiller acted surprisingly quickly

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as in seems

to give the impression of being always acting helpless, just to get attention

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as in functions

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 pretends

to present a false appearance of if you act confident long enough, you'll begin to actually feel it

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as in mocks

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 acts

Noun

And yet this series of antisemitic criminal acts has also strengthened the resolve of some of those affected. —

Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026 The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said the 21-year-old D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged with first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a body. —

Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026 Sphere’s lone location thus far is in Las Vegas, which has hosted live music acts and bespoke productions like a new, AI-fueled take on Wizard of Oz. —

Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026 The team has also turned Petco Park into a robust year-round destination for events, with the stadium set to host more than 150 non-MLB events this year; that includes stadium concert acts, such as Ed Sheeren, as well as concerts on a separate stage in Gallagher Square at Petco. —

Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 20 Apr. 2026 Organ donation is one of the most profound acts of generosity. —

Dr. Hiroshi Sogawa, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026 He was also charged with a second count involving lewd acts with a child, as well as dismemberment of the 15-year-old girl’s body. —

Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2026 But in smaller venues featuring emerging and mid-tier global acts, some see trouble ahead. —

Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026 Stay well, everyone, and know that small acts of kindness count. —

Helen Dennis, Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026

Verb

This control sequence, called a Hamiltonian, acts like Maxwell’s demon, flip-flopping a supposedly irreversible sequence of events forward to backward. —

Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026 And because of an unusually warm winter in the West, farms are also facing low levels of snowpack, the seasonal accumulation of slow-melting snow and ice that acts as a natural freshwater reservoir to help farmers weather the naturally dry summer season. —

Tristan Bove, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026 The event saw Samsung debut its latest concept called Project Luna, a desktop gadget that acts as part robot and part smart speaker. —

James Peckham, PC Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026 The treasurer acts as California’s banker and chief financier, overseeing funding for infrastructure like schools, roads, housing, hospitals and other public facilities. —

Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 19 Apr. 2026 The breakthrough builds on L3Harris’ Distributed Spectrum Collaboration and Operations (DiSCO) architecture, which acts as a central battle management system for electromagnetic operations. —

Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 19 Apr. 2026 This showcases the importance of efforts by the White House and the Supreme Court to rein in an overactive regulatory state that often acts without proper authority from Congress. —

Editorial, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026 Using salt as his guidestar, Welsh first discovered that a healthy CFTR protein created a chloride channel, which acts as a little pipe through a cell membrane. —

Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026 Groff is familiar with the bit, which is modeled off of how Darin regularly did the same with concertgoers attending his nightclub acts. —

Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acts

Noun

Families of the district’s more than 390,000 students are reeling with the prospect of life routines thrown into days of uncertainty.

— Nicole Macias Garibay, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
So don't forget to eat right, exercise and maintain beneficial routines.

— Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026