as in to raise hell
to behave badly
because his parents spent so much time with his chronically ill sister, the boy resorted to acting out in order to get attention
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Recent Examples of act out
Many adults can remember acting out scenes as doctor and patient, or using sticks and leaves as imaginary currency.
—
Ekaterina Muravevskaia, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
Then Bostwick hits the road through November for screenings around the country with live shadow casts of performers acting out the movie in front of the screen.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
James acts out by angrily finishing the painting of a sign on the Guinness plant wall.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Advocates say the footage undermines claims that agents acted out of fear for their lives, while federal officials insist an ongoing investigation will clarify what happened.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Ekaterina Muravevskaia, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
Then Bostwick hits the road through November for screenings around the country with live shadow casts of performers acting out the movie in front of the screen.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
James acts out by angrily finishing the painting of a sign on the Guinness plant wall.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Advocates say the footage undermines claims that agents acted out of fear for their lives, while federal officials insist an ongoing investigation will clarify what happened.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
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Under military law, service members are obligated to obey lawful orders, but to disobey unlawful orders.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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Washington made the move over Petro’s participation in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York City, as well as his call for US troops deployed in American cities to disobey orders.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Basini played a key role in striking TF1’s distribution deal with Netflix — the first time a European free-to-air leader will see its channels and on-demand service carried on the global streamer — starting in 2026.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Oct. 2025
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Despite the new name, this laptop carries on the modern XPS redesign that first debuted in 2023.—
Matthew Buzzi,
PC Magazine,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sturm said his back started acting up after the team’s first practice.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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In the cold and austere German winter (a far cry from Dakar’s physical and cultural warmth), an anxious Nourou acts up outside a hotel and is accosted by a Polish security guard, setting off a minor chain reaction in which Maja intervenes on his behalf, much to his chagrin.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Still, Johnson can try to block the discharge effort in the Rules Committee, though the panel has rebelled against him in the past.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
7 Oct. 2025
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The Arts and Crafts movement rebelled against factory drudgery and mass production.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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