acting

A1C3T1I1N1G2
/ˈæk.tɪŋ/

adjective

Temporarily assuming the duties or authority of another person when they are unable to do their job.

“For quotations using this term, see Citations:acting.”

CommonScrabble 9

Meanings

adjectiveacting (not comparable)
  1. not comparableTemporarily assuming the duties or authority of another person when they are unable to do their job.

    The CEO is currently in a hospital. The CFO is acting CEO in the meantime.

    2 more examples

    The Acting Minister must sign Executive Council documents in a Minister's absence.

    Amy Gleason is the acting administrator of the US DOGE Service, the agency that houses the temporary Department of Government Efficiency, a White House official told CNN on Tuesday.

    2025 February 25, Kaitlan Collins and Tierney Sneed, “White House reveals who DOGE acting administrator is”, in CNN
verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of act

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:acting.

nounacting (countable and uncountable, plural actings)

plural actings

  1. archaiccountableAn action or deed.

    Boyle’s theory explains the whole range of God’s actings in the world, those things that injure man as well as those which advantage him.

    1974, J. R. Jacob, “Robert Boyle and Subversive Religion in the Early Restoration”, in Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, volume 6, number 4, →JSTOR, page 276
    2 more examples

    […] he does so much magnifie Nature and her Actings in all this material World, as he gives just cause of suspicion that he hath made her a kind of joynt Deess with God in the Affairs thereof;

    1685, Herbert Croft, Some Animadversions upon a book intituled, The Theory of the Earth, London, Preface

    […] I desire this Account may pass with them, rather for a Direction to themselves to act by, than a History of my actings, seeing it may not be of one farthing value to them to note what became of me.

    1722, Daniel Defoe, “A Journal of the Plague Year”, in et al., London: E. Nutt, page 10
  2. countablelawSomething done by a party—so called to avoid confusion with the legal senses of deed and action.
  3. uncountablePretending.
  4. uncountablebroadcastingThe occupation of an actor.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveserving temporarily especially as a substitute

nounthe performance of a part or role in a drama

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
  3. Proto-Italic*agō
  4. Latinagō
  5. Latināctus
  6. Latinācta
  7. Old Frenchact
  8. Middle Englishacte
  9. Englishact
  10. Englishacting

From act + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ὑπόκρισις
  • ὑπόκρισις (hupókrisis)occupation of an actor
Arabic تَمْثِيل
  • تَمْثِيل (tamṯīl)occupation of an actor
Catalan actuació
  • actuacióoccupation of an actor
Chinese Mandarin 代理, 代-
  • 代理 (dàilǐ)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • 代- (dài-)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • 演技 (yǎnjì)occupation of an actor
Czech herectví
  • herectvíoccupation of an actor
Esperanto portempa, aktorado
  • portempatemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • aktoradooccupation of an actor
Finnish väliaikainen, virkaa toimittava
  • väliaikainentemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • virkaa toimittavatemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • näytteleminenoccupation of an actor
French intérimaire, par intérim
  • intérimairetemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • par intérimtemporarily assuming the duties or authority
German amtierend, stellvertretend
  • amtierendtemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • stellvertretendtemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • geschäftsführendtemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • Schauspielkunstoccupation of an actor
Hindi कार्यकारी, कार्यवाहक
  • कार्यकारी (kāryakārī)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • कार्यवाहक (kāryavāhak)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • अभिनय (abhinay)occupation of an actor
Hungarian színjátszás, színészi játék
  • színjátszásoccupation of an actor
  • színészi játékoccupation of an actor
  • alakításoccupation of an actor
Indonesian akting
  • aktingoccupation of an actor
Irish gníomhach, aisteoireacht
  • gníomhachtemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • aisteoireachtoccupation of an actor
Italian recitazione
  • recitazioneoccupation of an actor
Japanese 代理の, 演技
  • 代理の (dairi-no)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • 演技 (engi)occupation of an actor
Korean 연기
  • 연기 (yeon'gi)occupation of an actor
Latin histriōnia
  • histriōniaoccupation of an actor
Māori taupua
  • taupuatemporarily assuming the duties or authority
Persian بازیگری
  • بازیگری (bâzigari)occupation of an actor
Polish p.o., pełniący obowiązki
  • p.o.temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • pełniący obowiązkitemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • pełniąca obowiązkitemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • aktorstwooccupation of an actor
  • aktorszczyznaoccupation of an actor
Portuguese interino, temporário
  • interinotemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • temporáriotemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • atuaçãooccupation of an actor
  • encenaçãooccupation of an actor
Romanian actorie
  • actorieoccupation of an actor
Russian исполня́ющий обя́занности, и.о.
  • исполня́ющий обя́занности (ispolnjájuščij objázannosti)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • и.о. (i.o.)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • ври́о (vrío)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • актёрство (aktjórstvo)occupation of an actor
  • актёрское иску́сство (aktjórskoje iskússtvo)occupation of an actor
Slovak úradujúci
  • úradujúcitemporarily assuming the duties or authority
Spanish interino, en funciones
  • interinotemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • en funcionestemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • suplentetemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • actuaciónoccupation of an actor
Swedish tillförordnad, tf
  • tillförordnadtemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • tftemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • ställföreträdandetemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • stftemporarily assuming the duties or authority
  • skådespelerioccupation of an actor
Thai รักษาการ
  • รักษาการ (rák-sǎa-gaan)temporarily assuming the duties or authority
Turkish oyunculuk
  • oyunculukoccupation of an actor
Ukrainian виконувач обов'язків
  • виконувач обов'язків (vykonuvač obovʺjazkiv)temporarily assuming the duties or authority

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with acting

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“acting.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acting. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “acting,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/acting.

Source: acting on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.