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

Looting is typically a byproduct of the actual protests, as people exploit the distraction of the protests to act out. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

Dressed as Holmes and seated in a set version of the prison visitation room, Seyfried acts out lines from a script based on Fielder’s recollection of the conversation. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2026

In a heart-to-heart, Johnny tells Gabe that his reaction to his own parents’ divorce was also to act out. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

But this post-apocalyptic drama turns out to be actually a play, being acted out on a technologically complex stage. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 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)