act out
verb
acted out; acting out; acts out
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
: 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)
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
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
Later clips feature his first time playing in snow, his first taste of ice cream, and even his first instance of acting out after his owner briefly left him—an unexpected sign of growing attachment.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Traditional methods might overlook the quiet student who won’t ask for help or the struggling reader who acts out to hide their difficulty grasping the words.
—Haozhen Yang, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
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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
Later clips feature his first time playing in snow, his first taste of ice cream, and even his first instance of acting out after his owner briefly left him—an unexpected sign of growing attachment.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Traditional methods might overlook the quiet student who won’t ask for help or the struggling reader who acts out to hide their difficulty grasping the words.
—Haozhen Yang, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/act%20out. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
act out
transitive verb
: to express (as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without modification to comply with social norms
act out an adolescent fantasy
: to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (as fear or frustration)
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