act upon

verb

To take action on the basis of information received or deduced.

“The policeman decided to act upon the informant's phone call.”

Meanings

verbact upon (third-person singular simple present acts upon, present participle acting upon, simple past and past participle acted upon)

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

  1. To take action on the basis of information received or deduced.

    The policeman decided to act upon the informant's phone call.

    1 more example

    NR had carried out risk assessments in 2002, identifying potential dangers with the crossing and recommending the installation of automatic locking gates. But this was not acted upon. In 2007, following the tragic deaths of Charlotte and Olivia, NR erected a footbridge and installed locking gates at the foot crossing.

    2023 November 1, Ian Prosser talks to Stefanie Foster, “Safety Mission: Possible”, in RAIL, number 995, page 36

Synonyms & antonyms

verbhave and exert influence or effect

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

act upon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/act%20upon

MLA

“act upon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/act%20upon. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “act upon,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/act%20upon.

Source: act upon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.