act – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of act

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to act sth out
Participle: acted sth out
Gerund: acting sth out

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

Iact sth out
youact sth out
he;she;itacts sth out
weact sth out
youact sth out
theyact sth out

Perfect

Ihave acted sth out
youhave acted sth out
he;she;ithas acted sth out
wehave acted sth out
youhave acted sth out
theyhave acted sth out

Past

Iacted sth out
youacted sth out
he;she;itacted sth out
weacted sth out
youacted sth out
theyacted sth out

Pluperfect

Ihad acted sth out
youhad acted sth out
he;she;ithad acted sth out
wehad acted sth out
youhad acted sth out
theyhad acted sth out

Future

Iwill act sth out
youwill act sth out
he;she;itwill act sth out
wewill act sth out
youwill act sth out
theywill act sth out

Future Perfect

Iwill have acted sth out
youwill have acted sth out
he;she;itwill have acted sth out
wewill have acted sth out
youwill have acted sth out
theywill have acted sth out

Subjunctive

Present

Iact sth out
youact sth out
he;she;itact sth out
weact sth out
youact sth out
theyact sth out

Perfect

Ihave acted sth out
youhave acted sth out
he;she;ithave acted sth out
wehave acted sth out
youhave acted sth out
theyhave acted sth out

Imperfect

Iacted sth out
youacted sth out
he;she;itacted sth out
weacted sth out
youacted sth out
theyacted sth out

Pluperfect

Ihad acted sth out
youhad acted sth out
he;she;ithad acted sth out
wehad acted sth out
youhad acted sth out
theyhad acted sth out

Conditional

Present

Iwould act sth out
youwould act sth out
he;she;itwould act sth out
wewould act sth out
youwould act sth out
theywould act sth out

Perfect

Iwould have acted sth out
youwould have acted sth out
he;she;itwould have acted sth out
wewould have acted sth out
youwould have acted sth out
theywould have acted sth out

Imperative

youact sth out
weLet's act sth out
youact sth out

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam acting sth out
youare acting sth out
he;she;itis acting sth out
weare acting sth out
youare acting sth out
theyare acting sth out

Perfect

Ihave been acting sth out
youhave been acting sth out
he;she;ithas been acting sth out
wehave been acting sth out
youhave been acting sth out
theyhave been acting sth out

Past

Iwas acting sth out
youwere acting sth out
he;she;itwas acting sth out
wewere acting sth out
youwere acting sth out
theywere acting sth out

Pluperfect

Ihad been acting sth out
youhad been acting sth out
he;she;ithad been acting sth out
wehad been acting sth out
youhad been acting sth out
theyhad been acting sth out

Future

Iwill be acting sth out
youwill be acting sth out
he;she;itwill be acting sth out
wewill be acting sth out
youwill be acting sth out
theywill be acting sth out

Future Perfect

Iwill have been acting sth out
youwill have been acting sth out
he;she;itwill have been acting sth out
wewill have been acting sth out
youwill have been acting sth out
theywill have been acting sth out

Conditional

Present

Iwould be acting sth out
youwould be acting sth out
he;she;itwould be acting sth out
wewould be acting sth out
youwould be acting sth out
theywould be acting sth out

Perfect

Iwould have been acting sth out
youwould have been acting sth out
he;she;itwould have been acting sth out
wewould have been acting sth out
youwould have been acting sth out
theywould have been acting sth out

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'act'

abandon, abduct, abear, aberr, abject, abord, abort, abound, abraid, abray, abrook, abscind, abscond, absist, absorb, abstain, abstract, accend, accent, accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)

Verbs similar to 'act'

ace, ant, apt, pact, tact, aah, ab, abet, abut, ache,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

do
bear, execute, officiate, make, transact, react, move
behave
deal, seem, appear, conduct, deport, perform
dramatize
present, play, imitate, simulate, rehearse, impersonate, parody, represent
fake
pretend, counterfeit, impersonate, feign, sham, imitate

Antonyms

to delay movement or action until some event or time; to remain neglected or in readiness
go it blind, grasp, grasp the nettle, jump at the chance, jump on, jump the gun, shoot first and ask questions later, shoot from the hip, wait
do
fail, miss, omit, neglect

Additional Information

Etymology

1. c.1384, from O.Fr. acte, from L. actus "a doing" and actum "a thing done," both from agere "to do, set in motion, drive, urge, chase, stir up," from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move" (cf. Gk. agein "to lead, guide, drive, carry off," agon "assembly, contest in the games," agogos "leader;" Skt. ajati "drives," ajirah "moving, active;" O.N. aka "to drive;" M.Ir. ag "battle"). Theatrical (1520) and legislative (1458) senses of the word also were in Latin. The verb is first attested 1475; in the theatrical performance sense it is from 1594. In the act "in the process" is from 1596, originally from the 16c. sense of the act as "sexual intercourse." Act of God "uncontrollable natural force" first recorded 1882. To act out "behave anti-socially" (1974) is from psychiatric sense of "expressing one's unconscious impulses or desires."
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
4. Proto-Indo-European *-eti
5. Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti
6. Proto-Italic *agō
7. Latin agō
8. Latin ācta
9. Old French actbor.
10. Middle English acte
11. English act
12. From Middle English acte, from Old French acte, from Latin ācta (“register of events”), plural of āctum (“decree, law”), from agere (“to do, to act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti. Compare German Akte (“file”). Partially displaced deed, from Old English dǣd (“act, deed”). See: Proto-Indo-European '*h₂éǵeti'.

Verbs referencing "act"

Esperanto agi, Thai แอ๊บแบ๊ว.

Sample Sentences

  • [...] and pleasant feature of all such institutions in America, that they are either supported by the State or assisted by the State; or (in the event of their not needing its helping hand ) that they act in concert with it, and are emphatically the people 's. I cannot but think, with a view to the principle and its tendency to elevate or depress the character of the industrious classes, that a [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] the State Hospital for the insane; admirably conducted on those enlightened principles of conciliation and kindness, which twenty years ago would have been worse than heretical, and which have been acted upon with so much success in our own pauper Asylum at Hanwell. ‘Evince a desire to show some confidence, and repose some trust, even in mad people, ’ said the resident physician, as we walked along [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • Andy grinned. “ Yer see, ” said Sam, “ yer see, Andy, if any such thing should happen as that Mas’r Haley's horse _should_ begin to act contrary, and cut up, you and I jist lets go of our’n to help him, and _we'll help him_—oh yes ! ” And Sam and Andy laid their heads back on their shoulders, and broke into a low, immoderate laugh, [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • So spoke this poor, heathenish Kentuckian, who had not been instructed in his constitutional relations, and consequently was betrayed into acting in a sort of Christianized manner, which, if he had been better situated and more enlightened, he would not have been left to do. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ Wal, I can't help it, ” said Aunt Chloe, hiding her face in her apron; “ I ’ s so tossed about it, it makes me act ugly. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] on the ground-floor were lighted up, and a military band was playing in the hall. In the smaller drawing-room, the centre of a circle of company, were the President and his daughter-in-law, who acted as the lady of the mansion; and a very interesting, graceful, and accomplished lady too. One gentleman who stood among this group, appeared to take upon himself the functions of a master of the [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] is scarcely a man who is in anything different from his neighbour. It is quite a relief to have, sitting opposite, that little girl of fifteen with the loquacious chin: who, to do her justice, acts up to it, and fully identifies nature 's handwriting, for of all the small chatterboxes that ever invaded the repose of drowsy ladies ’ cabin, she is the first and foremost. The beautiful girl, who [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] prison, which was pretty far advanced towards completion. The female prisoners were occupied in needlework. Among them was a beautiful girl of twenty, who had been there nearly three years. She acted as bearer of secret despatches for the self-styled Patriots on Navy Island, during the Canadian Insurrection: sometimes dressing as a girl, and carrying them in her stays; sometimes attiring herself [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • “ What poor, mean trash this whole business of human virtue is ! A mere matter, for the most part, of latitude and longitude, and geographical position, acting with natural temperament. The greater part is nothing but an accident ! Your father, for example, settles in Vermont, in a town where all are, in fact, free and equal; becomes a regular church [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ Now, I know every word you are going to say. I do not say they _were_ alike, in fact. One fell into a condition where everything acted against the natural tendency, and the other where everything acted for it; and so one turned out a pretty wilful, stout, overbearing old democrat, and the other a wilful, stout old despot. If [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • - You 're acting like a child. - No, no, no, - Okay, lower your voice. - No, no, no, no, (Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer)