act

S1 W1

BrE /ækt/ AmE /ækt/

verb / noun en → es

past acted pp acted ing acting

1 PERFORM [intransitive], [T + role/character] A2

to perform in a play or film, or to pretend to be someone else for entertainment

actuar, interpretar

  • act as somebody/something
  • act in a play/film

Collocations act as the lead character · act in a Shakespearean play

  • She acts in many famous films.

    Ella actúa en muchas películas famosas.

2 BEHAVE [intransitive], [T + obj + prep] B1

to behave or react in a particular way, especially to make people think you are someone else

comportarse, hacerse el/la

  • act like somebody/something
  • act as if

Collocations act like a child · act as if nothing happened

  • He's acting strange today.

    Él se comporta extraño hoy.

3 DO SOMETHING [T + obj] B1

to do something, especially to deal with a situation or problem

hacer algo, actuar

  • act on information/advice

Collocations act quickly · act on a tip

  • We need to act now.

    Necesitamos actuar ahora.

4 LAW [countable] B2

a law or set of laws passed by a government

ley, norma legal

  • an act of parliament

Collocations the Clean Air Act · an environmental act

  • The new act will come into force next year.

    La nueva ley entrará en vigor el próximo año.

5 THEATRE [countable] B2

a part of a play or film, usually divided by an interval

acto, escena

  • an act in a play

Collocations first act · final act

  • The second act of the play was very exciting.

    El segundo acto de la obra fue muy emocionante.

6 PERFORMANCE [countable] B2

a performance by a group or person, especially as part of a larger show

actuación, número

  • an act in a variety show

Collocations opening act · supporting act

  • She was the opening act at the concert.

    Ella fue la actuación de apertura en el concierto.

7 GROUP [countable] B2

a group of people who work together in a particular profession or activity

grupo, asociación

  • an act of parliament

Collocations trade union act · political act

  • The trade union act was passed last year.

    La ley de sindicatos fue aprobada el año pasado.

8 PERFORMER [countable] B2

a performer or group of performers in a show, especially one that performs as part of a larger show

artista, grupo de artistas

  • an act on stage

Collocations headlining act · supporting act

  • The headlining act was fantastic.

    El grupo principal fue fantástico.

Phrasal verbs

act out PERFORM/SHOW B1

representar, mostrar

  • The children acted out a story.

    Los niños representaron una historia.

act up BEHAVE BADLY B1

comportarse mal, dar problemas

  • The computer is acting up again.

    La computadora está dando problemas de nuevo.

act on BASED ON INFORMATION B2

actuar basado en, seguir

  • We acted on the information we received.

    Actuamos sobre la información que recibimos.

act as FUNCTION AS B2

funcionar como, actuar como

  • He acted as a translator.

    Él actuó como traductor.

act for REPRESENT B2

representar, actuar por

  • She acts for the company in negotiations.

    Ella representa a la empresa en las negociaciones.

Idioms

act your age B2

comporta tu edad

  • You need to act your age.

    Necesitas comportarte a tu edad.

act the fool B2

hacer el tonto

  • He's just acting the fool.

    Él solo está haciendo el tonto.

act like a child B2

comportarse como un niño

  • Stop acting like a child.

    Deja de comportarte como un niño.