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
Bruce, as the stunt shark built to menace them is nicknamed, is acting up and delaying the acting itself.
—
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the guests, who have literally just arrived five minutes ago, are already acting up.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
Excess dust may also cause your allergies to act up.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 22 Feb. 2026
Koutouvides transitioned to life after football, found success in real estate development throughout Connecticut, but the pain of losing the Super Bowl twinges and acts up like an old joint injury.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for act up
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the guests, who have literally just arrived five minutes ago, are already acting up.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026
Excess dust may also cause your allergies to act up.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 22 Feb. 2026
Koutouvides transitioned to life after football, found success in real estate development throughout Connecticut, but the pain of losing the Super Bowl twinges and acts up like an old joint injury.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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Created by Eugene Pack and co-created by Dayle Reyfel, Celebrity Autobiography features stars reading — and dramatically acting out — excerpts from famous memoirs, leaning into the unintentionally funny, overly revealing and often absurd moments found within their pages.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
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But Rushing didn’t act out, McDonnell said.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
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That map would have cut up Indianapolis into four new districts, securing a Republican edge.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
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In the carousel of photos, McGillivray is seen cutting up food and raising it to Hogan's husband Steven Oleksy's mouth.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
Verb
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Perhaps the use of fish-eye lensing loses its novelty and the exotic camera angles occasionally feel more about showing off than taking us inside the story.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
4 May 2026
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Kristen Kish shows off her knife-sharpening skills at Studio City Farmers Market on May 3 in Los Angeles.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
Verb
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However, all of the city’s fire stations seemingly disobeyed the mayor by lowering their flags.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Trump had to relent on a scheme to prosecute Fed Chair Jerome Powell for disobeying White House commands to cut interest rates.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.—
Stephen Whyno,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
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Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.—
Stephen Whyno,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Their daughter, Veronica, has carried on their legacy.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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They were meant to be flying thousands of kilometers to find a mate and carry on their genetic line.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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