1
as in to act out
to behave badly
the two-year-old was acting up in church so much that her dad had to take her outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cut up
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
you should have seen the boys acting up when they put on their aprons
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of act up
The kid acts up, the dad disciplines him and mom just sends a sorry text.
—
Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Then the engine started acting up, which would have cost up to $10,000 to fix.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Lots of time spent acting up and acting out with your family.
—Outside Online, 3 Sep. 2025
Johnson, who struggles with a neuroma, swears by her Oofos mules to keep it from acting up.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Then the engine started acting up, which would have cost up to $10,000 to fix.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Lots of time spent acting up and acting out with your family.
—Outside Online, 3 Sep. 2025
Johnson, who struggles with a neuroma, swears by her Oofos mules to keep it from acting up.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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In order to break free of those constraints, Hedda acts out and becomes an architect of destruction.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Kinahans seemed to be acting out of pure rage.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The chicken, now cut up into small pieces at the lunch hour, soaks up the broth and packs an even more flavorful punch.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
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Guests ate slices of Chantilly sheet cakes from Whole Foods, which were cut up in the back and served with the rest of the desserts.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Pair it with the burgundy leather trousers, based on our ski pants, with the calf zips open to show off a good pair of boots.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
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Jana, who is the oldest Duggar daughter, and Wissmann could be seen kissing in one photo and showing off Jana's growing bump in another.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Illinois State Police cited him on suspicion of disobeying a police officer – a petty offense punishable by a fine – Cook County court records show, and is scheduled to appear in court November 25.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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Harvick said the agency gave lawful orders for the crowd to move back, which were disobeyed.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025
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Heath Ryan, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Olympics, can be seen in the video – which the rider said is about two years old – hitting a horse around 40 times.—
Matias Grez,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Verb
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The Medium Crossgrain Leather Wallet is slim enough to slip into your favorite handbag, but stylish enough to carry on its own as a clutch.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
4 Nov. 2025
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Jordan Marshall was cramping in the fourth quarter and still gutted out seven carries on a drive that bled the final six minutes from the clock.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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