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

Jenn asks Ryan if Dominic acting out at school has anything to do with her divorce. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

This is vital, as sleepers might otherwise act out their dreams and harm themselves or others. — Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026

Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes, and the live cast will lead the audience in acting out scenes and songs from the movie. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026

There’s no doubt that Landseer’s paintings of dogs acting out very human emotions and scenarios appear kitschy to twenty-first-century tastes. — Literary Hub, 28 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)