as in to misconduct
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of act out
Read on to find out why your child may be acting out, and when to seek help.
—
Melissa Willets, Parents, 5 Feb. 2026
Roper acts out this realization about [Teddy’s allegiance].
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
This form of compassion helps prime us to act out our compassionate concern for others.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
At these community events, monks and others wear intricate costumes and masks to act out the lore of historical legends.
—Amy Nelson, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for act out
Melissa Willets, Parents, 5 Feb. 2026
Roper acts out this realization about [Teddy’s allegiance].
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
This form of compassion helps prime us to act out our compassionate concern for others.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
At these community events, monks and others wear intricate costumes and masks to act out the lore of historical legends.
—Amy Nelson, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
-
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
-
What is the penalty for disobeying a traffic signal?—
Emery Glover,
Des Moines Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Italian carried on at Spurs for another 13 months before finally being put out of his misery after his much more memorable rant at Southampton in March 2023.—
Dan Kilpatrick,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The 11-million-pound rocket, stacked with the Orion capsule on top, will be carried on a moving platform known as a crawler-transporter that will move at a snail’s pace of around 1 mile per hour.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
Amid all that, Varsity Blues — about a Texas high-school football team rebelling against its abusive coach and holding on to one last gasp of glory before graduation — got a little lost.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
-
In the meantime, an unstable government could become more rather than less aggressive, not least to keep younger hard-liners from rebelling.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
