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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of act out
When school started, the boy's parents quickly became aware their son was having outbursts and acting out physically.
—
Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2025
Gen Z is making risky investments The third way Gen Z is acting out against their inability to buy a home, the researchers argue, is by taking on risky investments, like buying cryptocurrencies.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025
After that, Ray began acting out.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
There is defiance among the four, acting out of spite for their own losses, but not what Nick’s life stands to gain.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2025
Gen Z is making risky investments The third way Gen Z is acting out against their inability to buy a home, the researchers argue, is by taking on risky investments, like buying cryptocurrencies.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025
After that, Ray began acting out.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
There is defiance among the four, acting out of spite for their own losses, but not what Nick’s life stands to gain.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
-
The fact that on this occasion senior officers chose a very light touch, preserving still-new representative institutions while not directly disobeying a direct presidential order, is extraordinary – and deserves far more comment and commendation than has been received.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2026
-
But when Torre walked off the mound, first baseman Tino Martinez looked at Weathers and told him to disobey his manager.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Now the second generation is carrying on the same quality.—
Michael Guise,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Outside, the world carries on without him.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Likewise, when the young men started acting up, Josephine Holt took a keen interest in her newspaper.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
-
If your trackpad is acting up, keyboard shortcuts can keep you productive without fighting the cursor.—
Ken Colburn,
AZCentral.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The end of the prohibition came earlier than originally planned as a group of moderate Republicans rebelled against leadership in September, winning a concession to shorten the length of the pause by two months.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Certainly heroic for repeatedly rebelling against a murderous regime armed to the teeth.—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
