{
    "term": "act",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "act",
            "heSheIt": "acts"
        },
        "pastSimple": "acted",
        "pastParticiple": "acted",
        "ingForm": "acting"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to do something for a particular purpose or in order to deal with a situation",
            "sensetop": "act to do something+ adv./prep.",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It is vital that we act to stop the destruction of the rainforests.",
                    "contextForm": "act to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "By **acting quickly **doctors saved his life.",
                    "contextForm": "+ adv./prep."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The government was criticized for failing to act decisively."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Initial reports indicated she **acted alone**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He claims he **acted in self-defence**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We **acted in good faith** *(= believing that we were doing the right thing)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They are acting out of self-interest."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was not acting for personal gain."
                },
                {
                    "text": "George knew about the letter and acted accordingly."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her defence was that she had acted in good faith."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I suspected that he was acting out of malice."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The country's highest court ruled that police had acted unlawfully."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The government must act promptly to change this law."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The government needs to act against the sale of these dangerous toys."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The jury accepted that he had acted in self defence."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We are all acting in the best interests of the children."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The girl's life was saved because the doctors acted so promptly."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["at once", "immediately", "promptly"],
                "preposition": ["against", "for somebody", "on behalf of somebody"],
                "phrases": [
                    "act as if",
                    "act in somebody’s best interests",
                    "act in good faith"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to behave in a particular way",
            "sensetop": "+ adv.act like somebody/somethingact as if/though…",
            "labels": "North American EnglishBritish English",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The man was seen **acting suspiciously**.",
                    "contextForm": "+ adv."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I think that most employers **act responsibly** in these situations."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Decide what your priorities are and **act accordingly** *(= in an appropriate way)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Stop acting like spoilt children!",
                    "contextForm": "act like somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was acting as if she'd seen a ghost.",
                    "contextForm": "act as if/though…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "All citizens have a duty to act responsibly and show respect to others."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You acted very wisely in coming to me."
                },
                {
                    "text": "John's been acting very strangely lately."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["at once", "immediately", "promptly"],
                "preposition": ["against", "for somebody", "on behalf of somebody"],
                "phrases": [
                    "act as if",
                    "act in somebody’s best interests",
                    "act in good faith"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to perform a part in a play or film",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Have you ever acted?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He just can't act."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Most of the cast act well."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The play was well acted."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Who's acting the part of Hamlet?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She is acting the role of Juliet."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Film and theatre"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["brilliantly", "well", "badly"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to pretend by your behaviour to be a particular type of person",
            "sensetop": "+ noun+ adj.",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He's been acting the devoted husband all day.",
                    "contextForm": "+ noun"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I decided to act dumb.",
                    "contextForm": "+ adj."
                },
                {
                    "text": "to act weird/strange/normal/stupid"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He acts all macho, but he’s a real softie underneath."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You've been acting strange lately."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I found myself acting the part of the happy newly-married wife."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "to perform a particular role or function",
            "sensetop": "act as somethingact like something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She **acted as an adviser** to the committee.",
                    "contextForm": "act as something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Can you act as interpreter?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We hope this sentence will **act as a deterrent **to others."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Culture can **act as a** powerful **catalyst** for urban regeneration."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The council is only really acting as an agent."
                },
                {
                    "text": "hormones in the brain that act like natural painkillers",
                    "contextForm": "act like something"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["brilliantly", "well", "badly"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 6,
            "definition": "to have an effect on something",
            "sensetop": "act (on something)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Alcohol acts quickly on the brain."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It took a few minutes for the drug to act."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The bacteria act on sugars to form acids."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We need to understand the forces that act on the spine."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Most of these drugs acted directly on the blood vessels."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Nuclear and non-nuclear matter act on each other."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to behave in a stupid way in order to make people laugh, especially in a way that may also annoy them",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Quit playing the fool and get some work done!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Stop acting the fool and be serious!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He thought that being an actor only involved tap dancing and playing the fool."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to behave in a way that is suitable for somebody of your age and not as though you were much younger",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Isn’t it time you started acting your age?"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to behave in a very confident way that annoys other people, for example by telling them what to do",
            "labels": "(disapproving)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She was acting as if she owned the place."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ækt/",
                "audio": "ac/act/act__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ækts/",
                "audio": "ac/act/acts__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈæktɪd/",
                "audio": "ac/act/acted__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈæktɪŋ/",
                "audio": "ac/act/acting__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ækt/",
                "audio": "ac/act/act__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ækts/",
                "audio": "ac/act/acts__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈæktɪd/",
                "audio": "ac/act/acted__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈæktɪŋ/",
                "audio": "ac/act/acting__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": null
}