ham it up
idiom
informal
: to act or behave in an exaggerated or playful way
She likes to ham it up for the camera.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Other councilmembers looking to ham it up with Sawant struggled to find such common ground.
—
Andrew Schwartz, The New Republic, 3 Dec. 2021
But this week, the star behind the queen was determined to ham it up and have fun.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2022
After 11 years of being a coach on The Voice, folks might think Blake Shelton only loves to ham it up for the TV cameras.
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 12 Dec. 2022
Employees can experiment with make-your-own hot chocolate, cider and s’mores and ham it up in a 360-degree photo booth.
—Taylor Telford, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2022
Courtesy of Hello Glow Encourage guests to dress up in their holiday finest, turn up the festive music, have some holiday punch and holiday hors d'oeuvres at the ready, and set up a cute photo backdrop for you and your friends to ham it up in front of.
—Julia Ludlam, Country Living, 1 Dec. 2022
Looking for love With a striking resemblance to the cutest potato anyone has ever seen, Hamster sure loves to ham it up.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 15 Oct. 2022
Like many of the other portrayals on this list, when the legend is better than the truth, ham it up.
—Tim Moffatt, EW.com, 1 July 2022
The actors who get to ham it up are quickly the most entertaining, especially Jóhannesson and Asbjørn Krogh, who pops up halfway through the season as a vicious Christian Viking.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2022
See More
Andrew Schwartz, The New Republic, 3 Dec. 2021
But this week, the star behind the queen was determined to ham it up and have fun.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2022
After 11 years of being a coach on The Voice, folks might think Blake Shelton only loves to ham it up for the TV cameras.
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 12 Dec. 2022
Employees can experiment with make-your-own hot chocolate, cider and s’mores and ham it up in a 360-degree photo booth.
—Taylor Telford, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2022
Courtesy of Hello Glow Encourage guests to dress up in their holiday finest, turn up the festive music, have some holiday punch and holiday hors d'oeuvres at the ready, and set up a cute photo backdrop for you and your friends to ham it up in front of.
—Julia Ludlam, Country Living, 1 Dec. 2022
Looking for love With a striking resemblance to the cutest potato anyone has ever seen, Hamster sure loves to ham it up.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 15 Oct. 2022
Like many of the other portrayals on this list, when the legend is better than the truth, ham it up.
—Tim Moffatt, EW.com, 1 July 2022
The actors who get to ham it up are quickly the most entertaining, especially Jóhannesson and Asbjørn Krogh, who pops up halfway through the season as a vicious Christian Viking.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ham it up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ham it up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ham%20it%20up. Accessed 7 Jun. 2023.
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