ham it up
idiom
informal
: to act or behave in an exaggerated or playful way
She likes to ham it up for the camera.
Examples of ham it up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His attempt to ham it up as a real-life firefighter while putting on his gruff American accent got a laugh out of me, as did his immediately passing out when confronted with the volleyball girl’s disgusting leg injury.
—
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
But Joel and Ethan invest in other characters’ stories more — specifically, Josh Brolin’s conflicted fixer and Alden Ehrenreich’s anxious young actor — leaving Clooney to ham it up pleasantly as a forgettable dolt.
14.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024
Zehetner and Van Holt’s teaming is defeated by poor writing, while those playing villainous roles are given way too much leeway to ham it up.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 1 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for ham it up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
But Joel and Ethan invest in other characters’ stories more — specifically, Josh Brolin’s conflicted fixer and Alden Ehrenreich’s anxious young actor — leaving Clooney to ham it up pleasantly as a forgettable dolt.
14.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024
Zehetner and Van Holt’s teaming is defeated by poor writing, while those playing villainous roles are given way too much leeway to ham it up.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 1 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for ham it up
Cite this Entry
“Ham it up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ham%20it%20up. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share