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
Nikki acts out part of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and then parts of Clueless and then draws Molly a bunch of vulvas in fancy hats.
—
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
His days are spent either sitting sadly on Iris’ bed with literal hangdog eyes or acting out and destroying things in her apartment.
—Lindsey Bahr, Twin Cities, 2 Apr. 2025
But most small children eventually outgrow the impulse to act out.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 27 Mar. 2025
Instead, Butler acted out with indifference toward the Heat season to the degree that he was suspended by the Heat three times without pay before being dealt to the Warriors at the Feb. 6 NBA trading deadline.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
His days are spent either sitting sadly on Iris’ bed with literal hangdog eyes or acting out and destroying things in her apartment.
—Lindsey Bahr, Twin Cities, 2 Apr. 2025
But most small children eventually outgrow the impulse to act out.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 27 Mar. 2025
Instead, Butler acted out with indifference toward the Heat season to the degree that he was suspended by the Heat three times without pay before being dealt to the Warriors at the Feb. 6 NBA trading deadline.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
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Boasberg earlier this week found probable cause that the Trump administration committed criminal contempt by disobeying his ruling, only to see the Supreme Court rule that only judges where migrants are being held have jurisdiction to halt their removal.—
Jasmine Garsd,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2025
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The timing of Lopez Gomez’s arrest, first reported by the Florida Phoenix, raises questions about whether the court order was disobeyed.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And, while Robert E. Lee might have declined to resort to guerrilla warfare, many of his lieutenants carried on a program of suppression by terror.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
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Now, Solis carries on this tradition with her own child.—
Patrick Davis,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For the first time, Tindall had to act up without his partner over these past two weeks, with Graeme Jones, his fellow assistant, deputising alongside him.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Is his palm injury acting up again, or the pressure to join the elite company of Jack Nicklaus, who won 3 times at The PLAYERS Championship?—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Tsuyoshi had rebelled against the boss of the entertainment business and left the company not on good terms.—
Sara Merican,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2025
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When getting around is arduous and unsafe, workers rebel against their commutes, depressing the value of commercial buildings.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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