acting

1 of 2

noun

act·​ing ˈak-tiŋ How to pronounce acting (audio)
: the art or practice of representing a character on a stage or before cameras

acting

2 of 2

adjective

1
: holding a temporary rank or position : performing services temporarily
acting president
2
a
: suitable for stage performance
an acting play
b
: prepared with directions for actors
an acting text of a play

Examples of acting in a Sentence

Noun Her acting is unusually good in this film. a new style of acting Adjective The college's acting president will be replaced with a permanent one next fall. will serve as acting president of the university until a permanent replacement can be found
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In it, the actor wore a 1964 t-shirt with a photo of himself in his early acting days. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 Of course, The Color Purple movie musical cleaned up with a staggering 12 wins, including outstanding motion picture, outstanding soundtrack/compilation album and four individual acting awards. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024 An avid participant in acting and musical theatre classes, Charlie also excels in prop design. Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024 Nogueira was known for her acting, which included a stint on CW’s The Vampire Diaries and credits on such shows as The Michael J. Fox Show and the recent Starz series Hightown. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024 The show also won Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys, in addition to acting awards for White, Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 Though some kids did bully him in high school over Star Wars, Lloyd said Jake's decision to step away from acting had more to do with problems at home, where the family was dealing with a divorce. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 Drake did not attend a college or university and prioritized his acting and music career. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 12 Mar. 2024 The Dune star, known as much for her flawless fashion sense (developed in collaboration with Law Roach) as her acting, was an announcer at the 2024 Academy Awards. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The 37-year-old breakout, who, for her turn as Mollie in Martin Scorsese’s drama, became the first Indigenous American to be nominated for an acting Oscar, was profiled by The New Yorker on Feb. 4. Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2024 His first acting role was in Benny and Josh Safdie's 2014 feature Heaven Knows What. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Help from old laws Su remains in an acting role because of an unusual law passed in 1946 and amended in 1986. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2024 Even among the regular cast, a stiff yet exuberant acting style prevails. Alison Herman, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023 Among the acting nods for Killers of the Flower Moon include one for Lily Gladstone in the Best Actress category, and veteran Robert De Niro, who is up for Best Supporting Actor. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 23 Jan. 2024 At the 2023 Oscars, Everything Everywhere All at Once won best picture as well as acting nods for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis; and writing and directing Oscars for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2024 Maggie Smith Dame Maggie Smith has the second-most acting wins of any actress. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2024 Goffman, a veteran of the EPA under President Barack Obama, has been leading the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation on an acting basis since January 2021. Maxine Joselow, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from gerund of act entry 2

Adjective

from present participle of act entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

1590, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of acting was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near acting

Cite this Entry

“Acting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acting. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

acting

adjective
act·​ing
ˈak-tiŋ
: serving temporarily or in place of another
acting president

More from Merriam-Webster on acting

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