How to Use act on/upon in a Sentence

act on/upon

phrasal verb
  • The forces of weight, thrust, drag and lift act on a plane to keep it aloft and moving.
    Craig Merrett, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
  • Waiting to act on 4,000 acres is not to the benefit of the town.
    Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 9 July 2024
  • The suit alleges that Parker failed to act on any of the warnings.
    Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023
  • The thing that was the most difficult was to just act so much — and a lot of time to act on your own.
    Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Aug. 2024
  • So rest assured that the agency does read them and act on them.
    Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2024
  • The people receiving the warnings need to be able to act on them.
    Umair Irfan, Vox, 2 July 2024
  • He’s taken the kind of risks many dream of but seldom act upon.
    Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 16 June 2023
  • Only then can the court act on a petition closed to the public.
    Jack Kelly and Matthew Defour, Journal Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2023
  • That change lead to adjustments in how your core, glutes, and shoulders must act on the med ball.
    David Otey, Men's Health, 20 July 2023
  • But now that these forces are present, evolution can act on them.
    Max G. Levy, WIRED, 27 Oct. 2024
  • The war in Ukraine galvanized Mr. Taylor to act on a larger scale.
    Vivien Fellegi, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
  • Johnson has pledged to act on Ukraine aid when the House returns, as the country's war rages on with Russia.
    Sarah Beth Hensley, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2024
  • The agreement now goes to the Senate, which is expected to quickly act on it.
    Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 31 May 2023
  • Schumer also positioned the Senate last month to act on what could be a two-year increase in the debt ceiling.
    Tony Romm, Washington Post, 8 May 2023
  • At that time, the district didn't act on the recommendation.
    The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024
  • This makes the medication different from opioids, which act on the brain and spinal cord.
    Sony Salzman, ABC News, 30 Jan. 2024
  • If the government fails to act on claims within six months, victims can choose to file a lawsuit, a process that could take years to resolve.
    Brenda Goodman, CNN, 8 Aug. 2024
  • Opioids act on a receptor in the brain that controls breathing.
    Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Congress will now have a little over a week to act on the new proposal before funding runs out.
    Lauren Peller, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2024
  • Warning: this is not a time to take risks or act on impulse; exercise with caution.
    Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 8 July 2024
  • Consumers in general haven't gotten the message — or haven't had the ability to act on it.
    Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 14 May 2023
  • Most of the witnesses encouraged congress to act on NIL.
    Ralph D. Russo, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2023
  • The company petitioned the S.E.C. for new rules last summer and even sued the agency for failing to act on its request in April.
    Emily Flitter, New York Times, 6 June 2023
  • The second is to make a more diverse antivenin that can effectively act on a spectrum of snakebites.
    Kamala Thiagarajan, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023
  • The House will hold votes later Monday evening, after which Greene could act on the motion, though she’s made no announcements.
    Rachel Scott, ABC News, 6 May 2024
  • People who are sick, hungry or unsafe will not have the privilege to act on climate change.
    Katie Weeman, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2023
  • Under Texas law, the Board of Pardons and Paroles has to first recommend a pardon before the governor can act on it.
    Phil Helsel, NBC News, 10 May 2023
  • The time is now to act on this exponential growth period, but there is a lot of money being left on the table.
    Lexie Brown, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2024
  • Italy, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France have expressed willingness to act on the warrants.
    Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2024
  • But the timing of any vote by the full House, and the willingness of the U.S. attorney’s office to act on the referral, remain uncertain.
    Colleen Long, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'act on/upon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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