How to Use actual in a Sentence

actual

adjective
  • They signed the agreement in the spring, but the actual sale wasn't made until that summer.
  • The actual cost of the repair was much higher than the estimate.
  • You deposit money in a bank account but the actual money is not held there.
  • The gap between the actual and perceived role of habit in our lives matters.
    CNN, 29 Aug. 2022
  • For me, there was nothing that happened after his actual passing that top those moments.
    Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2022
  • This 75-inch smart TV might be the next best thing to installing an actual movie theater in your house.
    Averi Baudler, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024
  • The actual number could be higher, homeless advocates have said.
    Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Aug. 2022
  • And following the experience of the past two years, Au thinks that customers, too, are craving actual face time.
    Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2022
  • Others call it perfect for campers, RVs, and anyplace that can use some cozying up, when an actual wood-burning fireplace isn’t practical.
    Miles Walls, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2024
  • What the actual Taylor and Travis are doing Kelce and Swift − the real ones − are still very much attending to their pop star, football player agendas.
    Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
  • Efforts to overhaul the grid and create more storage began a decade ago but have trailed renewable energy generation, like wind and solar farms, in terms of actual installations.
    WIRED, 11 Sep. 2022
  • That all has to do with the payment of the actual workers.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Jan. 2023
  • Erin showed up to this, was game, and seemed to have an actual good time.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
  • The Curse began with an actual curse, or at least the threat of one.
    Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Apr. 2024
  • What is the actual fight time for the Canelo vs. GGG 3 main event?
    Tim Brown | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 17 Sep. 2022
  • For Martin, that was the actual couch from the reunion.
    Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2024
  • The actual building was torn in 1966 to make way for the freeway.
    Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2022
  • And actual food is only about 15 percent of the cost of junk foods like, say, Twinkies.
    Tamar Haspel, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023
  • And that’s why the stock’s going down, and that is an actual worry for me too.
    Julie Coleman, CNBC, 13 Sep. 2024
  • The event starts at noon, but the actual speaking part doesn't start until 12:30.
    John Boyanoski, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2022
  • Lee replaces the Chex with actual Puppy Chow, the dog food.
    Adam Reiner, Bon Appétit, 6 Jan. 2024
  • Note the tone, which is friendly, a bit dry, and somewhat in contrast with the actual facts.
    Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 8 Dec. 2023
  • Now that concept is an actual game for kids 5 years old and up.
    Ashley Ziegler, Parents, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Someone said that of all the wrestleboys, Bautista does the most actual acting in his movie work.
    Vulture, 3 Feb. 2023
  • This isn’t because the actual size of our stomach has changed.
    Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2023
  • But the actual tunnel is not really the best place to get a fit off.
    Leah Faye Cooper, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2024
  • That’s based on an actual trip that Eisenberg took in 2008, not with his cousin but his wife.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2024
  • The changes, actual and pending, would affect Twitter customers in the U.S. and across the globe.
    George Petras, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2022
  • While the actual summer months are chilly and foggy, fall tends to be warm and sunny.
    Katrina Brown Hunt, Travel + Leisure, 28 July 2023
  • There's no actual recipe for peanuts and candy corn fall mix, per se.
    Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Sep. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'actual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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