ACT ON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does act on mean? 

• ACT ON (verb)
  The verb ACT ON has 2 senses:

1. carry further or advance

2. regulate one's behavior in accordance with certain information, ideas, or advice

  Familiarity information: ACT ON used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ACT ON (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Carry further or advance

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

act on; follow up on; pursue

Context example:

Can you act on this matter soon?

Hypernyms (to "act on" is one way to...):

oppose; react (act against or in opposition to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "act on"):

check out; run down (trace)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Regulate one's behavior in accordance with certain information, ideas, or advice

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

The Founding Fathers acted on certain moral principles

Hypernyms (to "act on" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Th2 cells produce IL-4 and IL-13, which then act on B cells to promote the production of antigen-specific IgE.

(Immediate Hypersensitivity, NCI Thesaurus)

Some cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, and TNF act to broadly provoke the inflammatory response while others act on specific types of immune cells.

(Inflammatory Response Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

A physiological process in which body systems act on drugs, neutralizing their chemical effects.

(Biological Drug Neutralization, NCI Thesaurus)

Some act on the medullary control centers (the vomiting center and the chemoreceptive trigger zone) while others affect the peripheral receptors.

(Antiemetic Agent, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

No additional agitation should be thrown at this period among those she loved—and the evil should not act on herself by anticipation before the appointed time.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

As an ethambutol analogue with asymmetric structure, SQ109 does not act on the same target as ethambutol.

(Antibiotic SQ109, NCI Thesaurus)

Although the exact mechanism of action has not been established, inhaled isoflurane, appears to act on the lipid matrix of the neuronal cell membrane, which results in disruption of neuronal transmission.

(Isoflurane, NCI Thesaurus)

Thousands of compounds are tested in the laboratory to find a lead (“leading”) compound that may act on specific genes or proteins involved in a disease.

(Lead compound, NCI Dictionary)

Many common drugs such as asthma and heart pressure medications act on adrenergic receptors.

(Neurotransmitter Biosynthesis Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The enzymes of beta-oxidation are unable to act on substrates containing a double bond between the beta and gamma carbons.

(Oxidation of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)