act on

present singular third person acts on · participle present acting on · participle past acted on · past acted on

1. To act decisively on the basis of information received or deduced.

   The policeman decided to act on the tip from his informant.

2. To act accordingly to a (usually sublimated) desire or impulse.

   He keeps telling me about wanting to make a move, but he hasn't worked up to acting on it yet.

3. To take action against something.

   World leaders have repeatedly stated that we must act on climate change.

4. medicineTo affect something.

   Different drugs act on different parts of our body in many different ways.

5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see act, on.