acting 1 of 3

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

acting

2 of 3

noun

acting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of act
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2
3
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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
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

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Examples 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
Once Wray leaves his position, his direct deputy -- currently Paul Abbate, an agency veteran -- would be called on to serve as acting FBI director, according to the FVRA. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 15 Dec. 2024 This became the hardest acting moment in the entire film, requiring seven takes and three different animators to get just the right expression from the eyes. Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
But the English actor also does on-camera acting, as well, including in The Morning Show, Bones, Doctor Who, Gosford Park…. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 7 Jan. 2025 The win was Moore's first-ever acting award in her storied career. Dhanika Pineda, NPR, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
Fed regulators presuming the imposition of broad capital requirements are acting in as conceited a fashion as FOMC members setting a rate of interest. John Tamny, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024 Those officials could be then tapped for acting positions. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for acting 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting
Adjective
  • An injury sustained playing for England Under-20s in mid-October meant Collyer missed the final weeks of Erik ten Hag’s spell at the club, as well as the entirety of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim period in charge of the club.
    Carl Anka, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
  • The Sacramento Kings’ seven-game winning streak under interim coach Doug Christie came to sudden halt Tuesday.
    Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Then something strange happened — the Falcons started playing like one of the best defenses in the league.
    Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Deion Sanders began his NFL career with the Falcons in 1989, also playing baseball for the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves well into the 1990s.
    Dan Pompei, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Or pushing through with friendships that aren’t really working anymore, and maybe never did.
    Daisy Jones, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024
  • There have been many examples of that from our first edition up until today with global producers and DJs working with top headliners from Saudi, Egypt, Lebanon and rest of the Arab world.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Step one is converting a Mayfair to their side, with Moira seeming like the easiest target.
    Andy Swift, TVLine, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Despite the seeming doom and gloom, many institutions are stepping up to the plate in the face of these challenges, creating more accessible pathways to higher education.
    Susan R. Burns, New York Daily News, 30 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The school's kitchen and cafeteria are congested with long serving lines, according to the district's website.
    Alec Johnson, Journal Sentinel, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Shanghai remains the hub for the new model, with the city serving as the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China's center of production, as well as the base for its research and development departments.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • While maintaining a quirky and mysterious air, the show yields questions like, is a cult real if its creators are pretending but its followers aren’t?
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
  • June Squibb plays the titular Thelma, who gets taken in by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) to the tune of $10,000.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Quad’s grievances spill over into her relationship with Heavenly, which ties into Heavenly and Quad mocking Sweet Tea on social media.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Naturally, the Internet lost its mind, and the scene quickly went viral, with viewers mocking and/or sharing their disbelief at Sheridan's dialogue.
    Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The more than 90,000 daily visitors at the 2025 event spend time mixing both tennis and entertainment across the nearly 100-acre festival atmosphere.
    Tim Newcomb, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
  • For now, the focus is on entertainment partners across video, television, books and more.
    Sara Fischer, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near acting

Cite this Entry

“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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