act out

verb

acted out; acting out; acts out

transitive verb

1

a

: to represent in action

children act out what they read

b

: to translate into action

unwilling to act out their beliefs

2

: to express (something, such as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without modification to comply with social norms

intransitive verb

: to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (such as fear or frustration)

Synonyms of act out

• misconduct
• disobey
• carry on
• run riot
• act up
• rebel
• raise Cain

Examples of act out in a Sentence

because his parents spent so much time with his chronically ill sister, the boy resorted to acting out in order to get attention

Recent Examples on the Web

At Denver Botanic Gardens, youth educators encourage preschoolers to act out the life cycle of various plants, for example. —Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 May 2026

Hanks' wife Rita Wilson stars in and co-produces the new show, which features an ever-changing lineup of entertainment, politicians and athletes who read and act out excerpts from other celebrities' autobiographies. —Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 20 May 2026

Just the play on Black women being able to act out their rage in a very unhinged manner, but also a very appropriate manner for their psyche. —Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 19 May 2026

This natural state of paralysis prevents the body from physically acting out dreams, which could otherwise lead to injury, Drerup explained. —Daryl Austin, USA Today, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for act out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

act out

verb

1

: to represent in action

children act out what they read

2

: to behave badly especially as a way of letting out painful emotions

Medical Definition

act out

transitive verb

(ˈ)akt-ˈau̇t 

: to express (as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without modification to comply with social norms

act out an adolescent fantasy

intransitive verb

: to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (as fear or frustration)