in the act (of doing something)
idiom
: in the process of doing something
When they arrived, I was just in the act of starting to make dinner.
Examples of in the act (of doing something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Initiatives to better educate the public on the impacts of caffeine are also detailed in the act and study on how caffeine is marketed toward children and teens.
—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
What if the key to greater efficiency, clarity, productivity, performance and success simply lies in the act of unplugging and stepping away from what is right in front of you?
—Denise Russo, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Caught in the act Now, caught in the act of releasing war plans that would get a soldier sentenced to hard labor, Hegseth supporters have launched the only kind of defense this White House understands.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2025
For example, given an image of a clock next to some lettering, the tasks might be to determine the letters in the image or, given an image of a baseball player in the act of throwing, the question might be what object is being thrown.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the act (of doing something)
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.
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
What if the key to greater efficiency, clarity, productivity, performance and success simply lies in the act of unplugging and stepping away from what is right in front of you?
—Denise Russo, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Caught in the act Now, caught in the act of releasing war plans that would get a soldier sentenced to hard labor, Hegseth supporters have launched the only kind of defense this White House understands.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2025
For example, given an image of a clock next to some lettering, the tasks might be to determine the letters in the image or, given an image of a baseball player in the act of throwing, the question might be what object is being thrown.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the act (of doing something)
Cite this Entry
“In the act (of doing something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20act%20%28of%20doing%20something%29. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share