act
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An instance of a certain standardized college admissions test in the United States, originally called the American College Test.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
aktIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈækt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
countable
An instance of a certain standardized college admissions test in the United States, originally called the American College Test.
countable
Something done, a deed.
countable
A formal or official record of something done.
countable
A performer or performers in a show.
countable
A display of behaviour meant to deceive.
A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student.
verb
intransitive
To do something.
intransitive
To do something that causes a change binding on the doer.
intransitive
To perform a theatrical role.
Play a role or part
intransitive
Of a play: to be acted out (well or badly).
Behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
“You should act like an adult.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An instance of a certain standardized college admissions test in the United States, originally called the American College Test.
The 'ACT' (always capitalized) is a standardized college admissions test, commonly taken by high school students in the US. It's often compared to the SAT, serving a similar purpose for college applications.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
High school counselor's office
“Many colleges accept either the SAT or the ACT for admission.”
Parent-teacher conference
“My daughter is studying hard for her upcoming ACT test.”
College application portal
“Please submit your official ACT scores by the deadline.”
Nearby words
- roleplay , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use act
- “You should act like an adult.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.