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
The resident followed this act up by going back inside and reemerging with a rifle, Evans said.
—
Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood weren’t afraid to act up on Friday night.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 10 Jan. 2026
And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
But if your transmission acts up or your steering system goes haywire, car insurance won't help you.
—Alora Bopray, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood weren’t afraid to act up on Friday night.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 10 Jan. 2026
And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
But if your transmission acts up or your steering system goes haywire, car insurance won't help you.
—Alora Bopray, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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Like other states around the country, Tennessee was closing its public psychiatric hospitals, and mentally ill people who acted out were simply being jailed.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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Fleming acts out each detail with gusto, and this full sensory barrage earns him his loudest round of applause yet.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At one point, a member of the Revolutionary Guard came over to cut up Khamenei’s breakfast meat.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
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Her voice is intimate and resonant, whether cut up into indistinct background flurries or pushed to the front of the mix.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Students showed off their animals on Saturday at the Bastrop Area Livestock Show on Saturday at the Ken Estepp Show Barn in Bastrop.—
Austin American Statesman,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Mar. 2026
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After all, these pants are the best silhouette to show off your footwear.—
Lina-Marie Baatz,
Glamour,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In one story, the king, Hiranyakashipu, ordered everyone in his kingdom to worship him and was irked when his own son Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, disobeyed his command.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
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In the internal report, an ICE agent wrote that Martinez appeared intoxicated or impaired and disobeyed verbal instructions to stop and exit his vehicle.—
Bayliss Wagner,
San Antonio Express-News,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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But Andrew continued to live at the home and was often seen riding his horse around Windsor Great Park and photographed waving to crowds.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In his absence, Ellington has carried on.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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At home, those of us without relatives doing the fighting mainly feel the effects of the war at the pump — oil prices have topped $100 per barrel as a disruption affecting roughly 20% of global oil supply ripples through energy markets — but otherwise our days here carry on much as normal.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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