(law) a conditional release from imprisonment that entitles the person to serve the remainder of the sentence outside the prison as long as the terms of release are complied with
a promise; "he gave his word"
release a criminal from detention and place him on parole; "The prisoner was paroled after serving 10 years in prison"
a natural and unavoidable catastrophe that interrupts the expected course of events; "he discovered that his house was not insured against acts of God"
a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body
a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program; "he did his act three times every evening"; "she had a catchy little routine"; "it was one of the best numbers he ever did"
a subdivision of a play or opera or ballet
a manifestation of insincerity; "he put on quite an act for her benefit"
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"
pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind; "He acted the idiot"; "She plays deaf when the news are bad"
discharge one's duties; "She acts as the chair"; "In what capacity are you acting?"
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"
perform on a stage or theater; "She acts in this play"; "He acted in `Julius Caesar'"; "I played in `A Christmas Carol'"
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"
be engaged in an activity, often for no particular purpose other than pleasure
be suitable for theatrical performance; "This scene acts well"
come into sight or view; "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"; "A new star appeared on the horizon"
come into being or existence, or appear on the scene; "Then the computer came along and changed our lives"; "Homo sapiens appeared millions of years ago"
be issued or published; "Did your latest book appear yet?"; "The new Woody Allen film hasn't come out yet"
appear as a character on stage or appear in a play, etc.; "Gielgud appears briefly in this movie"; "She appeared in `Hamlet' on the London stage"
seem to be true, probable, or apparent; "It seems that he is very gifted"; "It appears that the weather in California is very bad"
present oneself formally, as before a (judicial) authority; "He had to appear in court last month"; "She appeared on several charges of theft"
follow a certain course; "The inauguration went well"; "how did your interview go?"
move ahead; travel onward in time or space; "We proceeded towards Washington"; "She continued in the direction of the hills"; "We are moving ahead in time now"
point out or draw attention to in protest or remonstrance; "our parents represented to us the need for more caution"
describe or present, usually with respect to a particular quality; "He represented this book as an example of the Russian 19th century novel"
serve as a means of expressing something; "The flower represents a young girl"
create an image or likeness of; "The painter represented his wife as a young girl"
be a delegate or spokesperson for; represent somebody's interest or be a proxy or substitute for, as of politicians and office holders representing their constituents, or of a tenant representing other tenants in a housing dispute; "I represent the silent majority"
be representative or typical for; "This period is represented by Beethoven"
take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to; "Because of the sound changes in the course of history, an 'h' in Greek stands for an 's' in Latin"
the act of transacting within or between groups (as carrying on commercial activities); "no transactions are possible without him"; "he has always been honest is his dealings with me"
graphic art consisting of the graphic or photographic representation of a visual percept; "he painted scenes from everyday life"; "figure 2 shows photographic and schematic views of the equipment"
a consecutive series of pictures that constitutes a unit of action in a film
a subdivision of an act of a play; "the first act has three scenes"
an incident (real or imaginary); "their parting was a sad scene"
the place where some action occurs; "the police returned to the scene of the crime"