in the act
While doing it
In the act means at the moment of doing something, especially something wrong or private.
To catch someone in the act is to discover them while they're committing an offense or engaged in behavior they'd prefer to hide: The security camera caught him in the act of stealing.
The phrase often implies guilt or embarrassment.
- bustedApprehended or broken
- caught red-handedApprehended during wrongdoing
- red-handedCaught mid-crime
- caughtSeized or grabbed
- in flagrante delictoCaught in the act
committing · moment · nabbed · dead to rights · guilty as charged · culpability · flagrant · crime · freeze · smoking gun · revelation · instant · exposure · detection · deed · discovery · now · offense
in the actafter the fact
Following an event's occurrence
beforehand · in hindsight · retrospectively · in advance · ex post facto
in the actundetected
Not discovered yet
undiscovered · unsuspected · getting away with it · scot-free · above suspicion
in the actundetected
Not discovered yet
getting away with it · undiscovered · scot-free · unseen · unnoticed
act, action, active, actor, acting, activity, react, actual, actions