- (n.) That which is done or doing; the exercise of power or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed.
- (n.) The result of public deliberation; the decision or determination of a legislative body, council, court of justice, etc.; a decree, edit, law, judgment, resolve, award; as, an act of Parliament or of Congress.
- (n.) A formal solemn writing, expressing that something has been done.
- (n.) A performance of part of a play; one of the principal divisions of a play or dramatic work in which a certain definite part of the action is completed.
- (n.) A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree or to show the proficiency of a student.
- (n.) A state of reality or real existence as opposed to a possibility or possible existence.
- (n.) Process of doing; action. In act, in the very doing; on the point of (doing).
- (v.t.) To move to action; to actuate; to animate.
- (v.t.) To perform; to execute; to do.
- (v.t.) To perform, as an actor; to represent dramatically on the stage.
- (v.t.) To assume the office or character of; to play; to personate; as, to act the hero.
- (v.t.) To feign or counterfeit; to simulate.
- (v.i.) To exert power; to produce an effect; as, the stomach acts upon food.
- (v.i.) To perform actions; to fulfill functions; to put forth energy; to move, as opposed to remaining at rest; to carry into effect a determination of the will.
- (v.i.) To behave or conduct, as in morals, private duties or public offices; to bear or deport one's self; as, we know not why he has acted so.
- (v.i.) To perform on the stage; to represent a character.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). act. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/act/definitions/1970656 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "act" http://smartdefine.org/act/definitions/1970656 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, act, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/act/definitions/1970656>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "act" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/act/definitions/1970656> |