in the act
In the process of doing something. For example, The police caught the robber in the act, or I was in the act of closing the window. [Second half of 1600s]
Performing sexual intercourse, as in Her father caught them in the act. [Late 1500s]
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Words nearby in the act
intestinal villus, intestine, intestines, in that, in that case, in the act, in the aggregate, in the air, in the altogether, in the back, in the bag
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Example sentences from the Web for in the act
The questions begin to arise from his in-the-act sex photographs, sometimes with multiple partners.