as in to raise hell
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of act out
Day-Lewis often acted out dialogue, as speed typist Ronan took everything down on the computer.
—
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Some cases even involve disgruntled family members acting out of greed.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
At these screenings, the film is shown on the big screen while a cast silently acts out the entire film in front of the audience.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Many adults can remember acting out scenes as doctor and patient, or using sticks and leaves as imaginary currency.
—Ekaterina Muravevskaia, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Some cases even involve disgruntled family members acting out of greed.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
At these screenings, the film is shown on the big screen while a cast silently acts out the entire film in front of the audience.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Many adults can remember acting out scenes as doctor and patient, or using sticks and leaves as imaginary currency.
—Ekaterina Muravevskaia, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
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In Missouri, disobeying traffic lights is considered a moving violation.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
15 Oct. 2025
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This was neither the first nor the last time that Patton disobeyed an order.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Without receivers CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin, Prescott got multiple receivers involved as the game carried on.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Oct. 2025
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Kelsea Ballerini carried on her legacy of blending pop and country while staying true to the storytelling roots of Nashville on Patterns.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sturm said his back started acting up after the team’s first practice.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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In the cold and austere German winter (a far cry from Dakar’s physical and cultural warmth), an anxious Nourou acts up outside a hotel and is accosted by a Polish security guard, setting off a minor chain reaction in which Maja intervenes on his behalf, much to his chagrin.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Otherwise, the only alternative is rebelling against the government.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
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Still, Johnson can try to block the discharge effort in the Rules Committee, though the panel has rebelled against him in the past.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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