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definitions

in the act

1

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]

2

Performing sexual intercourse, as in Her father caught them in the act. [Late 1500s]

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Nearby words

  1. in substance,
  2. in terms of,
  3. in terrorem clause,
  4. in that,
  5. in that case,
  6. in the aggregate,
  7. in the air,
  8. in the altogether,
  9. in the back,
  10. 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.

Examples from the Web for in the act