as in to raise hell
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of act out
Day-Lewis often acted out dialogue, as speed typist Ronan took everything down on the computer.
—
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Some cases even involve disgruntled family members acting out of greed.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
At these screenings, the film is shown on the big screen while a cast silently acts out the entire film in front of the audience.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Many adults can remember acting out scenes as doctor and patient, or using sticks and leaves as imaginary currency.
—Ekaterina Muravevskaia, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Some cases even involve disgruntled family members acting out of greed.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
At these screenings, the film is shown on the big screen while a cast silently acts out the entire film in front of the audience.
—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Many adults can remember acting out scenes as doctor and patient, or using sticks and leaves as imaginary currency.
—Ekaterina Muravevskaia, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
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Harvick said the agency gave lawful orders for the crowd to move back, which were disobeyed.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
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In Missouri, disobeying traffic lights is considered a moving violation.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Inaba and Hough offered each other conciliatory smiles before the remaining judges carried on with their comments.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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Barker hopes that teaching younger generations how to step will carry on the Kansas City legacy for years to come.—
Alexa Stone
Updated October 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Its general sensibility seems more Superstore than The Office, down to the interstitial montages of customers acting up in the perpetually overcrowded waiting room.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
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Sturm said his back started acting up after the team’s first practice.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Loosely inspired by real-life events, the film chronicled the tale of an undercover detective infiltraitng a coal mining community to expose a group of Irish-American miners rebelling against the mine owners.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
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When she was pulled into the Upside Down and seemingly forgotten, the fanbase rebelled and #JusticeforBarb was born.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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