1
as in to act out
to behave badly
the two-year-old was acting up in church so much that her dad had to take her outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cut up
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
you should have seen the boys acting up when they put on their aprons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of act up
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
Clarke Schmidt’s back acted up, and then his shoulder.
—Brendan Kuty, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Mount Spurr, located about 75 miles West of Anchorage, has been acting up in recent weeks, prompting officials at the U.S. Geological Survey and Alaska Volcano Observatory to issue a yellow alert.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
The elbows acted up again this past offseason, forcing Stanton to stop swinging a few weeks before reporting to spring training.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
Clarke Schmidt’s back acted up, and then his shoulder.
—Brendan Kuty, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Mount Spurr, located about 75 miles West of Anchorage, has been acting up in recent weeks, prompting officials at the U.S. Geological Survey and Alaska Volcano Observatory to issue a yellow alert.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
The elbows acted up again this past offseason, forcing Stanton to stop swinging a few weeks before reporting to spring training.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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Global banks aren’t necessarily acting out of malice.—
Wale Ayeni,
semafor.com,
14 July 2025
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Lizzy yells at him for acting out because of his bruised ego.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 July 2025
Verb
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National media reports in the last few weeks indicated Trump will dissolve the EPA's Office of Research and Development and cut up to 75% of its jobs.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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Other parts of the plan to cut up to $37 million from TSU's budget include reductions in non-instructional staff that would save $6-7 million and instructional staff cuts that would account for another $5-6 million.—
Rachel Wegner,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Wimbledon was a font of enviable wrist candy again this week, with celebrities showing off some stellar watches courtside.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
12 July 2025
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Simpson took to Instagram to show off her birthday look.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
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Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025
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Umberto Rispoli squeezed between horses around the top of the stretch and then rode Journalism to a tremendous rally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
24 May 2025
Verb
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Boasberg would later determine there was probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying his order to immediately halt deportations, but the proceedings were later blocked by an appeals court.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
10 July 2025
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The story references a recurring problem of drivers disobeying stop signs.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Or even how the sky and its painterly clouds seem to carry on and on in perpetuity.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
14 July 2025
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Matlock worked with Iggy Pop and Johnny Thunders, while lifelong friends Jones and Cook attempted to carry on together as the Professionals, but struggled to find relevance in the MTV era.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
12 July 2025
Verb
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Determined to find a way out despite the painful testing and horrific consequences for rebelling.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 July 2025
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Were Susan and her brothers eager to rebel and create less commercial, more challenging music than their record company would allow?—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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