act on

British  

verb

1. to regulate one's behaviour in accordance with (advice, information, etc)

2. to have an effect on (illness, a part of the body, etc)

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act on Idioms  

1. Also, act upon . Conduct oneself in accordance with or as a result of information or another action, as in I will act on my lawyer's advice , or The manager refused to act upon the hotel guest's complaints . [c. 1800]

2. Influence or affect, as in The baby's fussing acted on the sitter's nerves . [c. 1800]

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Example Sentences

A video recorded in October by the father-son pair suggests they were also armed with something else: the conviction that they were acting on behalf of a movement larger than themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal

She pointed to a recent study from Norway that observed comparable signals near an unstable rock slope and "suggested that their signals may be linked to freeze-thaw processes acting on cracks within the bedrock."

From Science Daily

That act on its own, she said, constituted “a very serious offense.”

From Los Angeles Times

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he has acted on a range of recommendations in the report.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There is a leak inquiry, it can go wherever the evidence will take it, and if it comes to a conclusion, I'll act on it."

From BBC

Related Words

• pursue