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
An animal physiotherapist and acupuncturist, Megan Taylor, posted on her Instagram @tayloredvetphysio the question of whether owners have noticed their senior dogs dreaming more intensely or acting out compared to younger canines.
—
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Blanc specifically acts out moments from John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man to illustrate the impossibility of the crime.
—Esther Zuckerman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for act out
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Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Blanc specifically acts out moments from John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man to illustrate the impossibility of the crime.
—Esther Zuckerman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
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
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 29 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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