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
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
The sisters may have spent weeks teasing the first single off their new album through several funny little videos and familiar-looking album art, but the tell-tale sign of new Haim music is when the weather gets good and people feel like acting up.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2025
In recent weeks, we are told that Phillips has at points been acting up for Moore after Moore broke her ankle while skiing, and she is understood to have been dipping her toe into drama.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
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
The sisters may have spent weeks teasing the first single off their new album through several funny little videos and familiar-looking album art, but the tell-tale sign of new Haim music is when the weather gets good and people feel like acting up.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2025
In recent weeks, we are told that Phillips has at points been acting up for Moore after Moore broke her ankle while skiing, and she is understood to have been dipping her toe into drama.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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Comments Midway through season 6 of Boy Meets World, Rider Strong recalls feeling tired of acting out dramatic storylines for his character Shawn Hunter.—
Daysia Tolentino,
EW.com,
21 June 2025
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Hoyer could be acting out of self-preservation at the deadline of what might be his final shot in Chicago.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Maria is a former basketball player for the University of New Orleans Maria cut up the court herself, as a Division I basketball player for the University of New Orleans from 1993 to 1996, per the Rutgers University website.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
25 June 2025
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Video and phone recordings showed Frey cutting up a rubber glove, filling it with something and stuffing the package into an arrow shaft during a call with Smith.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Drake posted a mirror selfie in front of his bar on his Instagram on June 28, which showed off his fitness regimen along with his six-pack of abs.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
30 June 2025
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This Donde Esteban number is the ultimate summer wrap dress with its flattering shape and mini length to show off your legs this season.—
Rana Good,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
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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
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Fayetteville Sad Palomino’s Will King releases a collection of home recordings In between horsing around with his longtime band Sad Palomino, Will King has been recording and trying to decide the best way to share songs, mostly written during winters from 2020 to 2025.—
Monica Hooper,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Thousands of people were arrested by the LAPD and other agencies for failure to disperse, disobeying a lawful order and other minor offenses following the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but both the Los Angeles city attorney’s office and former Dist.—
Salvador Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
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Federal judges ruled Thursday that Alabama intentionally discriminated against Black residents when the state disobeyed court orders to draw a second Black-majority congressional district.—
Cheyanne M. Daniels,
The Hill,
9 May 2025
Verb
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There’s no English accent to guide you—no narration at all, except the soft honking of the geese, somehow carrying on amid it all.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
20 June 2025
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But the freed men and women has tasted just enough freedom to carry on their fight for justice and equality.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Wait, there’s a both-sides approach to the company and the workers rebelling against it?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
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Newsweek Contributors Debate For decades, Iranians have organized, protested, and rebelled for greater freedom.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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