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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of act out
Blanc specifically acts out moments from John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man to illustrate the impossibility of the crime.
—
Esther Zuckerman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
His brittle mum Heather (a heartbreaking and frustrating Shirley Henderson) is barely holding things together as is, and then John starts, well, acting out?
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Despite their language barrier, Costner did his best to talk to the tribe about buffalo, acting out how the animal would behave.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
So Kiritsis, while his plan is undeniably wacked, is still someone who’s been backed into a corner and is acting out of a fury that has justifiably boiled over.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Esther Zuckerman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
His brittle mum Heather (a heartbreaking and frustrating Shirley Henderson) is barely holding things together as is, and then John starts, well, acting out?
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Despite their language barrier, Costner did his best to talk to the tribe about buffalo, acting out how the animal would behave.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
So Kiritsis, while his plan is undeniably wacked, is still someone who’s been backed into a corner and is acting out of a fury that has justifiably boiled over.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
-
The next day, Alex begs Mia to put her on TMS to talk about the deep fake, but Mia won’t, because that would be directly disobeying Stella and Celine’s order for Alex to keep quiet.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Hamas has called on residents of Gaza City to disobey the evacuation order.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In a prerecorded message, Lee said silencing a voice cannot silence an idea and urged attendees to carry on Kirk’s mission.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Content creator Mychal Threets, also known as Mychal the Librarian, will carry on the legacy as the new host.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Mature parents do not slap their children across the face for acting up.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By the early post-World War II period, the demographic cohort most likely to rebel against authority—namely, youth—had been molded by Soviet institutions in which the revolutionary teachings of Marxism-Leninism had achieved the status of sacred canon.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Set after the Norman invasion of England, Rob (Patten) witnesses the execution of his father, a Saxon forester, which incites him to rebel.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share