word-vault

{ "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 }