in the act

prepositional phrase

In the process of doing something considered criminal or otherwise wrong; used to emphasize the eye-witness evidence.

“She denied it but she had been spotted in the act.”

Similar
red-handedin flagrante delicto
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. idiomaticIn the process of doing something considered criminal or otherwise wrong; used to emphasize the eye-witness evidence.

    She denied it but she had been spotted in the act.

    2 more examples

    He was caught in the act in the store after hours.

    He was caught in the act of climbing out the window.

    Synonyms: red-handed, in flagrante delicto

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseIn the process of doing something considered criminal or otherwise wrong; used to emphasize the eye-witness evidence.

Similar
red-handedin flagrante delicto
Also see
in flagrante delicto

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 現行 /现行
  • 現行 /现行 (xiànxíng)in the process of doing something
Danish på fersk gerning
  • på fersk gerningin the process of doing something
Dutch op heterdaad
  • op heterdaadin the process of doing something
Finnish itse teossa
  • itse teossain the process of doing something
French sur le fait
  • sur le faitin the process of doing something
German auf frischer Tat
  • auf frischer Tatin the process of doing something
Norwegian på fersk gjerning
  • på fersk gjerningin the process of doing something
Polish na gorącym uczynku
  • na gorącym uczynkuin the process of doing something
Romanian prinde cu mâța în sac
  • prinde cu mâța în sacin the process of doing something
Russian на ме́сте преступле́ния, с поли́чным
  • на ме́сте преступле́ния (na méste prestuplénija)in the process of doing something
  • с поли́чным (s políčnym)in the process of doing something
Spanish con las manos en la masa, en el acto
  • con las manos en la masain the process of doing something
  • en el actoin the process of doing something
Swedish på bar gärning
  • på bar gärningin the process of doing something
Tagalog huli sa akto
  • huli sa aktoin the process of doing something
Cite this entry
APA

in the act. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20act

MLA

“in the act.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20act. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the act,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20act.

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