1
as in to act out
to behave badly
the two-year-old was acting up in church so much that her dad had to take her outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cut up
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
you should have seen the boys acting up when they put on their aprons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of act up
The kid acts up, the dad disciplines him and mom just sends a sorry text.
—
Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Then the engine started acting up, which would have cost up to $10,000 to fix.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Lots of time spent acting up and acting out with your family.
—Outside Online, 3 Sep. 2025
Johnson, who struggles with a neuroma, swears by her Oofos mules to keep it from acting up.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Then the engine started acting up, which would have cost up to $10,000 to fix.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Lots of time spent acting up and acting out with your family.
—Outside Online, 3 Sep. 2025
Johnson, who struggles with a neuroma, swears by her Oofos mules to keep it from acting up.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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But when her school’s principal suggests that her acting out might be covering up a learning disability, Claire’s mom is hesitant to have her evaluated.—
Sara Rowe Mount,
Parents,
15 Oct. 2025
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In the clip, which was shared by celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Jenner and Appleton, 42, acted out daughter Kim Kardashian's viral quote from The Kardashians.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The boat therefore needed metal or plastic cages installed around the engines, so that the diver wouldn’t get accidentally cut up by their blades — and finding a boat and then the right cages fit onto the boat would take time.—
Samanth Subramanian,
The Dial,
14 Oct. 2025
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Techniques like this have been around for some time, but Micro-C uses an enzyme that can cut up DNA more finely than before.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump has been recruiting donors for the construction project for months, showing off renderings and scale models to Oval Office visitors.—
Melanie Hicken,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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The property’s signature Roku & Star bar (opening later this year) will be home to plenty of Japanese cuisine that shows off classic techniques such as nukazuke, sashimi and sushi, and yakimono.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025
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Heath Ryan, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Olympics, can be seen in the video – which the rider said is about two years old – hitting a horse around 40 times.—
Matias Grez,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Harvick said the agency gave lawful orders for the crowd to move back, which were disobeyed.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
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In Missouri, disobeying traffic lights is considered a moving violation.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Inaba and Hough offered each other conciliatory smiles before the remaining judges carried on with their comments.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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Barker hopes that teaching younger generations how to step will carry on the Kansas City legacy for years to come.—
Alexa Stone
Updated October 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Loosely inspired by real-life events, the film chronicled the tale of an undercover detective infiltraitng a coal mining community to expose a group of Irish-American miners rebelling against the mine owners.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
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When she was pulled into the Upside Down and seemingly forgotten, the fanbase rebelled and #JusticeforBarb was born.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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