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
Rather than acting out on the anger, take a calming moment with some deep breaths, and think about the possibility that your partner was possibly distracted or stressed out.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
But Rushing didn’t act out, McDonnell said.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 8 May 2026
The company accused Musk of acting out of personal motives.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026
Garcia says, acting out the usual blush of so many bewildered men.
—Darío Gael Blanco, Vanity Fair, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for act out
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
But Rushing didn’t act out, McDonnell said.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 8 May 2026
The company accused Musk of acting out of personal motives.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026
Garcia says, acting out the usual blush of so many bewildered men.
—Darío Gael Blanco, Vanity Fair, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
-
Icarus disobeying his father Daedalus and flying too close to the sun.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
He was cited with disobeying a traffic control device, not having proof of insurance and obstructing a police officer.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
His successors, Michael Dolphin and Geneva Robinson, carried on this sense of mission.—
Michael Bernick,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
To cap off the day and this drive, carry on south for even more to explore, from quieter beaches and scenic overlooks to neighborhood gems like Hyde Park and the peaceful Osaka Garden.—
Abby Price,
Travel + Leisure,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
Baye continued acting up until 2023.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
-
There is no defeat quite like sitting down for a gaming session after a 10-hour workday, hoping to get your woes out by winning some battles, but your ancient monitor decides to act up.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jumping, rebelling, expelling, reacting, acting.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
-
Jane rebelled against Marge’s efforts to manage her choices, especially on whom to date.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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