legal document, legal instrument, official document, instrument - (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right

decree, fiat, edict, rescript, order - a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge); "a friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there"

legislative act, statute - an act passed by a legislative body

jurisprudence, law - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"

action - something done (usually as opposed to something said); "there were stories of murders and other unnatural actions"

nonaccomplishment, nonachievement - an act that does not achieve its intended goal

leaning - the act of deviating from a vertical position

motivating, motivation - the act of motivating; providing incentive

assumption - the act of assuming or taking for granted; "your assumption that I would agree was unwarranted"

rejection - the act of rejecting something; "his proposals were met with rejection"

sacrifice, forfeit, forfeiture - the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.

activity - any specific activity; "they avoided all recreational activity"

wearing, wear - the act of having on your person as a covering or adornment; "she bought it for everyday wear"

judgment, assessment, judgement - the act of judging or assessing a person or situation or event; "they criticized my judgment of the contestants"

production - the act or process of producing something; "Shakespeare's production of poetry was enormous"; "the production of white blood cells"

stay - continuing or remaining in a place or state; "they had a nice stay in Paris"; "a lengthy hospital stay"; "a four-month stay in bankruptcy court"

residency, abidance, residence - the act of dwelling in a place

inactivity - being inactive; being less active

interference, hindrance - the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding

stop, stoppage - the act of stopping something; "the third baseman made some remarkable stops"; "his stoppage of the flow resulted in a flood"

group action - action taken by a group of people

distribution - the act of distributing or spreading or apportioning

legitimation - the act of rendering a person legitimate; "he has filial rights because he obtained letters of legitimation from the king"; "his parents' subsequent marriage resulted in his legitimation"

permissive waste, waste - (law) reduction in the value of an estate caused by act or neglect

proclamation, promulgation - the formal act of proclaiming; giving public notice; "his promulgation of the policy proved to be premature"

communicating, communication - the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information; "they could not act without official communication from Moscow"

speech act - the use of language to perform some act

ballet, concert dance - a theatrical representation of a story performed to music by ballet dancers

dramatic composition, dramatic work - a play for performance on the stage or television or in a movie etc.

drama, dramatic play, play - a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage; "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway"

scene - a subdivision of an act of a play; "the first act has three scenes"

opera - a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

performance, public presentation - a dramatic or musical entertainment; "they listened to ten different performances"; "the play ran for 100 performances"; "the frequent performances of the symphony testify to its popularity"

show-stopper, showstopper, stopper - an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down

expression, reflexion, reflection, manifestation - expression without words; "tears are an expression of grief"; "the pulse is a reflection of the heart's condition"

take turns, alternate - do something in turns; "We take turns on the night shift"

end up, fetch up, wind up, finish, finish up, land up - finally be or do something; "He ended up marrying his high school sweetheart"; "he wound up being unemployed and living at home again"

festinate, hasten, look sharp, hurry, rush - act or move at high speed; "We have to rush!"; "hurry--it's late!"

interrupt, disturb - destroy the peace or tranquility of; "Don't interrupt me when I'm reading"

react, respond - show a response or a reaction to something

go ahead, plow ahead - proceed (with a plan oc action); "He went ahead with the project"

aggress, attack - take the initiative and go on the offensive; "The Serbs attacked the village at night"; "The visiting team started to attack"

force - do forcibly; exert force; "Don't force it!"

create - pursue a creative activity; be engaged in a creative activity; "Don't disturb him--he is creating"

come to the fore, step forward, step to the fore, come forward, step up, come out - make oneself visible; take action; "Young people should step to the fore and help their peers"

pay back, repay, reward - act or give recompensation in recognition of someone's behavior or actions

satisfice, staisfise - decide on and pursue a course of action satisfying the minimum requirements to achieve a goal; "optimization requires processes that are more complex than those needed to merely satisfice"

manoeuver, manoeuvre, maneuver - act in order to achieve a certain goal; "He maneuvered to get the chairmanship"; "She maneuvered herself into the directorship"

dispatch - dispose of rapidly and without delay and efficiently; "He dispatched the task he was assigned"

evade - practice evasion; "This man always hesitates and evades"

race - to work as fast as possible towards a goal, sometimes in competition with others; "We are racing to find a cure for AIDS"

use - habitually do something (use only in the past tense); "She used to call her mother every week but now she calls only occasionally"; "I used to get sick when I ate in that dining hall"; "They used to vacation in the Bahamas"

play it by ear - decide on one's actions as one goes along, depending on the situation; "She didn't know what to expect from her new job, so she played it by ear"

play - act or have an effect in a specified way or with a specific effect or outcome; "This factor played only a minor part in his decision"; "This development played into her hands"; "I played no role in your dismissal"

deal - take action with respect to (someone or something); "How are we going to deal with this problem?"; "The teacher knew how to deal with these lazy students"

partner - act as a partner; "Astaire partnered Rogers"

exert - make a great effort at a mental or physical task; "exert oneself"

egotrip - act in a way that attracts attention; "This teacher always egotrips and the students don't like him"

reciprocate - act, feel, or give mutually or in return; "We always invite the neighbors and they never reciprocate!"

go, proceed, move - follow a procedure or take a course; "We should go farther in this matter"; "She went through a lot of trouble"; "go about the world in a certain manner"; "Messages must go through diplomatic channels"

come close - nearly do something; "She came close to quitting her job"

perform - perform a function; "Who will perform the wedding?"

dare, make bold, presume - take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission; "How dare you call my lawyer?"

engage, pursue, prosecute - carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in; "She pursued many activities"; "They engaged in a discussion"

act on - regulate one's behavior in accordance with certain information, ideas, or advice; "The Founding Fathers acted on certain moral principles"

interact - act together or towards others or with others; "He should interact more with his colleagues"

react, oppose - act against or in opposition to; "She reacts negatively to everything I say"

take time by the forelock - act quickly and decisively; not let slip an opportunity

coact - act together, as of organisms

act involuntarily, act reflexively - act in an uncontrolled manner

bend over backwards, fall over backwards - try very hard to please someone; "She falls over backwards when she sees her mother-in-law"

presume - take liberties or act with too much confidence

vulgarise, vulgarize - act in a vulgar manner; "The drunkard tends to vulgarize"

optimise, optimize - act as an optimist and take a sunny view of the world

quack - act as a medical quack or a charlatan

menace - act in a threatening manner; "A menacing person"

make - act in a certain way so as to acquire; "make friends"; "make enemies"

bluster, swagger, swash - act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner

freeze - suddenly behave coldly and formally; "She froze when she saw her ex-husband"

wanton - behave extremely cruelly and brutally

romanticize - act in a romantic way

sentimentise, sentimentize, sentimentalise, sentimentalize - act in a sentimental way or indulge in sentimental thoughts or expression

bungle - spoil by behaving clumsily or foolishly; "I bungled it!"

toy, play - engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously; "They played games on their opponents"; "play the stockmarket"; "play with her feelings"; "toy with an idea"

act as, act, play - pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"

act as, act, play - pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"

stooge - act as a stooge, in a compliant or subordinate manner; "He stooged for the flamboyant Senator"

jest, joke - act in a funny or teasing way

piffle - act in a trivial or ineffective way

make - behave in a certain way; "make merry"

make as if - begin or appear to begin an action; "He made as if to shake my hand"

pretend, dissemble, act - behave unnaturally or affectedly; "She's just acting"

lose it, break down, snap - lose control of one's emotions; "When she heard that she had not passed the exam, she lost it completely"; "When her baby died, she snapped"

dally, dawdle - waste time; "Get busy--don't dally!"

backslap - display excessive cordiality (towards); "he is always backslapping his colleagues at staff meetings"

hugger mugger - act stealthily or secretively

sauce - behave saucy or impudently towards

footle - act foolishly, as by talking nonsense

frivol, trifle - act frivolously

swell, puff up - become filled with pride, arrogance, or anger; "The mother was swelling with importance when she spoke of her son"

follow - accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of; "Let's follow our great helmsman!"; "She followed a guru for years"

loosen up, relax - become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner; "our new colleague relaxed when he saw that we were a friendly group"

rage, ramp, storm - behave violently, as if in state of a great anger

act up - make itself felt as a recurring pain; "My arthritis is acting up again"

performing arts - arts or skills that require public performance

act as, act, play - pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"

make believe, pretend, make - represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like; "She makes like an actress"

re-create - create anew; "Re-create the boom of the West on a small scale"

playact, roleplay, act, play - perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"

support - play a subordinate role to (another performer); "Olivier supported Gielgud beautifully in the second act"

play - pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity; "Let's play like I am mommy"; "Play cowboy and Indians"

act out, enact, reenact - act out; represent or perform as if in a play; "She reenacted what had happened earlier that day"

act out - represent an incident, state, or emotion by action, especially on stage; "She could act neurotic anxiety"

impersonate, portray - assume or act the character of; "She impersonates Madonna"; "The actor portrays an elderly, lonely man"

parody - make a spoof of or make fun of

emote - give expression or emotion to, in a stage or movie role

serve - do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function; "He served as head of the department for three years"; "She served in Congress for two terms"

criticise, criticize - act as a critic; "Those who criticize others often are not perfect, either"

bank - act as the banker in a game or in gambling

behave, act, do - behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"

behave, act, do - behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"

act, play, represent - play a role or part; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master"

playact, roleplay, act, play - perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"

be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"

make for, wreak, bring, work, play - cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"

bring home the bacon, deliver the goods, succeed, win, come through - attain success or reach a desired goal; "The enterprise succeeded"; "We succeeded in getting tickets to the show"; "she struggled to overcome her handicap and won"

play - be at play; be engaged in playful activity; amuse oneself in a way characteristic of children; "The kids were playing outside all day"; "I used to play with trucks as a little girl"

drive around - drive without any particular aim; "we were driving around in the countryside on a fine Sunday morning"

walk around - walk randomly; "We were walking around in the neighborhood to see whether we could find an open drugstore"

behave, act, do - behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people"

sham, feign, simulate, assume - make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep"

dramatic art, dramaturgy, theater, theatre, dramatics - the art of writing and producing plays

perform - give a performance (of something); "Horowitz is performing at Carnegie Hall tonight"; "We performed a popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera"

play - perform on a certain location; "The prodigy played Carnegie Hall at the age of 16"; "She has been playing on Broadway for years"

play - be performed; "What's playing in the local movie theater?"; "`Cats' has been playing on Broadway for many years"

act, play, represent - play a role or part; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master"

stooge - act as the stooge; "His role was to stooge for the popular comedian"

pantomime, mime - act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements only; "The acting students mimed eating an apple"

ham, ham it up, overact, overplay - exaggerate one's acting

underact, underplay - act (a role) with great restraint

act - be suitable for theatrical performance; "This scene acts well"