acting 1 of 3

Definition of actingnext
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

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noun

acting

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verb

present participle of act
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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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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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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 acting
Adjective
But Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has been elevated to the top job, on at least an acting basis, and is performing the duties of the department’s top official. Stephen Groves, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 Miley Cyrus also reflected on her bond with Osment on the series, which was her first big acting role. Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Noun
When the scandal breaks, Myeong-hwa loses her acting career. Kayti Burt, Time, 29 May 2026 The Anti-Weaponization Fund being set up in the Department of Justice will have a five-person board answering only to the attorney general, who is now Trump’s former personal criminal defense lawyer Todd Blanche in an acting capacity. New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 28 May 2026
Verb
Either way, the marine layer is so important, acting as Mother Nature's natural air conditioner to keep the California coast cool during the summer. Zoe Mintz, CBS News, 31 May 2026 In addition to acting, Kelly graduated with a business degree from Skidmore College in 1978, before briefly working as a stockbroker. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 30 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for acting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting
Adjective
  • The city’s release said Boise Airport Deputy Director of Finance and Business Development Kathleen Watkins would serve as interim director while a search begins to recruit Hupp’s replacement.
    Shannon Tyler May 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 May 2026
  • Helen Toner, interim executive director at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said those differing descriptions about AI in the military are both true.
    ABC News, ABC News, 31 May 2026
Noun
  • Joe Kottke Joe Kottke is an assignment editor at NBC News covering domestic news, including politics, immigration, crime, entertainment and severe weather.
    Joe Kottke, NBC news, 27 May 2026
  • Nevertheless, California remains the home to the tech sector, entertainment industry, and an agricultural economy that feeds the country.
    Doug Mccauley, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Verb
  • Like Van Ness, Morgan is a former first-round pick who hasn’t yet lived up to that billing but has a chance to do so this season while playing the most pivotal role of his career so far.
    Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 28 May 2026
  • For the first time in nearly two decades, the Eagle Rock softball team will be playing in a CIF LA City Section title game.
    Justin Vigil Zuniga, Daily News, 28 May 2026
Verb
  • Advocacy is rising in a similar fashion around AI with initiatives like the No Fakes Act, a bill championed by SAG-AFTRA and others in Hollywood that is is working its way through Congress.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 May 2026
  • Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand have been working together in the last week at the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 75 miles north of the capital, Vientiane.
    Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
Verb
  • In 2024, a video of Valli performing went viral due to the then-90-year-old musician seeming very spaced out.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 30 May 2026
  • The actress walks the show’s fine line between drama and satire perfectly, never seeming to take the occasion too seriously but also refusing to smirk at the camera.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • And the facility, beyond serving an 11-state region, will be a central transfer point where vendors can bring their products to one location rather than having to drop them off at multiple warehouses.
    Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
  • There was a twinge of disruption, because Alexander Zverev (29) and Daniil Medvedev (30) introduced a blend of unreturnable serving and baseline dexterity that briefly forced even the Big Three to patch their software.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Verb
  • Instead of pretending to be doctors attempting to remove body parts from a patient, however, Unethical Hoops players act as members of an opposing basketball team trying to take the ball from a cartoon character who very much resembles Gilgeous-Alexander.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
  • Some owners show their mettle for a spell, then find adequate reason to knuckle under; others have no intention of even pretending to do what is hard or what is right.
    David Remnick, New Yorker, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • Hilton's campaign then shared Steyer's post on X, mocking the Democrat.
    Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
  • Underneath the topmost layer (a user clicking through a browser), a comprehensive E2E setup involves mocking production endpoints, intercepting network requests, seeding databases, making precise assertions at every layer of the stack and integrating tightly with CI pipelines.
    Ethan Pronev, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.

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