as in to misconduct
to behave badly
because his parents spent so much time with his chronically ill sister, the boy resorted to acting out in order to get attention
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Recent Examples of act out
The only thing left to do is act out.
—
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Some of the most outrageous scenes are between Stacy, who likes to act out, and her forbearing therapist (Will Arnett).
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
In the video, Allie dramatically acted out both sides of the conversation, capturing the feeling of trying to extract a straightforward answer from her mom.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Prosecutors alleged that Chow acted out of a false belief that Carmack-Belton had shoplifted four bottles of water from his store.
—Jeana Fermi, ABC News, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for act out
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Some of the most outrageous scenes are between Stacy, who likes to act out, and her forbearing therapist (Will Arnett).
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
In the video, Allie dramatically acted out both sides of the conversation, capturing the feeling of trying to extract a straightforward answer from her mom.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
Prosecutors alleged that Chow acted out of a false belief that Carmack-Belton had shoplifted four bottles of water from his store.
—Jeana Fermi, ABC News, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
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In addition, referees were instructed to apply the rules regarding fouls and misconducts more strictly – a move meant to protect players and their inventiveness.—
Cesar R. Torres,
The Conversation,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Santana-Mateo was booked on charges of breach of peace, engaging police in a pursuit, disobeying the direction of officer, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive right, failure to obey a traffic control signal and driving the wrong way on a one way.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 2026
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In 2024, the agency claimed that X security staff sometimes had to pointedly disobey Musk in order to remain in compliance.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
Verb
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One was Buck Strickland, Hank Hill’s philandering boss, who has many of LBJ’s characteristics including carrying on conversations while on the toilet.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
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His children carry on the broadcast tradition as the Phantom Gourmet brothers.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Currently, Screen Time often acts up and just cuts off access to all apps, whether it’s supposed to or not.—
Tyler Hayes,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2026
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Baye continued acting up until 2023.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The musical, which features a rock score, is based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, which follows a group of teenagers in 19th-century Germany who are discovering their sexuality and rebelling against the strict rules set by their parents.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
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These fears lead them to rebelling against the technology overall.—
Staff Author,
Parents,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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