Act \Act\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acted; p. pr. & vb. n. Acting.]

[L. actus, p. p. of agere to drive, lead, do; but influenced by E. act, n.]

1. To move to action; to actuate; to animate. [Obs.]

[1913 Webster]

Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

2. To perform; to execute; to do. [Archaic] [1913 Webster]

That we act our temporal affairs with a desire no greater than our necessity. --Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

Industry doth beget by producing good habits, and facility of acting things expedient for us to do. --Barrow. [1913 Webster]

Uplifted hands that at convenient times Could act extortion and the worst of crimes. --Cowper. [1913 Webster]

3. To perform, as an actor; to represent dramatically on the stage. [1913 Webster]

4. To assume the office or character of; to play; to personate; as, to act the hero. [1913 Webster]

5. To feign or counterfeit; to simulate. [1913 Webster]

With acted fear the villain thus pursued. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

To act a part, to sustain the part of one of the characters in a play; hence, to simulate; to dissemble.

To act the part of, to take the character of; to fulfill the duties of. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

Acting \Act"ing\, a.

1. Operating in any way. [1913 Webster]

2. Doing duty for another; officiating; as, an acting superintendent. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

143 Moby Thesaurus words for "acting": act, action, active, activism, activity, ad interim, affectation, aping, appearance, at work, attitudinizing, behavior, behavioral, bluff, bluffing, buffoonery, business, characterization, cheating, color, coloring, deception, delusion, deputative, deputy, disguise, dissemblance, dissembling, dissimulation, doing, dumb show, embodiment, employment, enacting, enactment, exercise, facade, face, fakery, faking, false air, false front, false show, falsity, feigning, feint, four-flushing, fraud, front, function, functional, functioning, gag, gilt, gloss, going, going on, ham, hammy acting, hoke, hokum, humbug, humbuggery, imitation, impersonation, imposture, in exercise, in force, in hand, in operation, in play, in practice, in process, in the works, inaction, incarnation, interim, masquerade, meretriciousness, mimesis, mimicking, mimicry, miming, movements, mummery, occupation, on foot, on the fire, ongoing, operating, operation, operational, operations, ostentation, outward show, overacting, pantomime, pantomiming, patter, performance, performing, personation, personification, play, playacting, playing, portrayal, pose, posing, posture, practice, practicing, praxis, pretense, pretension, pretext, pro tem, pro tempore, projection, representation, representative, running, seeming, semblance, serving, sham, show, simulacrum, simulation, slapstick, speciousness, stage business, stage directions, stage presence, stunt, supply, swing, taking a role, varnish, window dressing, work, working, workings

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

acting adj : serving temporarily especially as a substitute; "the acting president" [syn: acting(a)]

noun

the performance of a part or role in a drama [syn: playing, playacting, performing]

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Act \Act\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acted; p. pr. & vb. n. Acting.]

[L. actus, p. p. of agere to drive, lead, do; but influenced by E. act, n.]

1. To move to action; to actuate; to animate. [Obs.]

Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul. --Pope.

2. To perform; to execute; to do. [Archaic]

That we act our temporal affairs with a desire no greater than our necessity. --Jer. Taylor.

Industry doth beget by producing good habits, and facility of acting things expedient for us to do. --Barrow.

Uplifted hands that at convenient times Could act extortion and the worst of crimes. --Cowper.

3. To perform, as an actor; to represent dramatically on the stage.

4. To assume the office or character of; to play; to personate; as, to act the hero.

5. To feign or counterfeit; to simulate.

With acted fear the villain thus pursued. --Dryden.

To act a part, to sustain the part of one of the characters in a play; hence, to simulate; to dissemble.

To act the part of, to take the character of; to fulfill the duties of.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Acting \Act"ing\, a.

1. Operating in any way.

2. Doing duty for another; officiating; as, an acting superintendent.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)