(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"
showing humiliation or submissiveness; "an abject apology"
of the most contemptible kind; "abject cowardice"; "a low stunt to pull"; "a low-down sneak"; "his miserable treatment of his family"; "You miserable skunk!"; "a scummy rabble"; "a scurvy trick"
most unfortunate or miserable; "the most abject slaves joined in the revolt"; "abject poverty"
showing utter resignation or hopelessness; "abject surrender"
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"