act

/ækt/ noun

Definition

› [C] something that someone does: A partner may be held responsible for the acts of his co-partners committed in the name of the firm. He has led an investigation into stock market manipulation and various illegal acts and swindles. → See also action noun

› (also Act) [C] LAW a law or formal decision made by a parliament or other group of elected law-makers: The 2010 act, with its requirement for a review of financial controls, has helped drive up the cost of corporate audits by as much as 50%.

be a hard/tough act to follow informal › to be so good that it is unlikely that anyone or anything that comes after will be as good: The company could lose momentum without its chief executive, who will be a hard act to follow.

get in on the act informal mainly UK (US get into the act) › to take advantage of or become involved with something that someone else started: There's always a debate in the machine room about the product, long before the marketing men and editors get in on the act.

get your act together informal › to organize yourself so that you do things in an effective way: Mr Dinsdale said it was crucial that the Department of Trade & Industry got its act together.

→ See also consolidating act

(Definition of act noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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