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
Relevance
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
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 up
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
Likewise, when the young men started acting up, Josephine Holt took a keen interest in her newspaper.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
If your trackpad is acting up, keyboard shortcuts can keep you productive without fighting the cursor.
—Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
Likewise, when the young men started acting up, Josephine Holt took a keen interest in her newspaper.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
If your trackpad is acting up, keyboard shortcuts can keep you productive without fighting the cursor.
—Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
-
Mia is really acting out her character and has butt pads so lumpy that Michelle Visage got up off her couch to come over to the Hamptons to yell at her.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
-
But gaslighters don't necessarily act out of pure malice, Sweet says.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On Sunday, with her lip cut up and puffy, Barber thanked Grasso for the rematch.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Or mixed up the sausage filling and Justin’s potato into a kind of hash brown patty, fried them off like Brittany did with the livermush crostini last week, cut up the collard greens into ribbons, and put that on top of the potato and pork?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Lancers showed off outstanding pitching, starting with Gary Morse striking out 16 in their opener.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
UConn’s Chris Freeman showed off an NFL-caliber leg, kicking a 65-yard field goal.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kyorkian was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, violation of civil rights (hate crime) and disobeying a court order.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
State police said Bishop was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs, reckless driving, disobeying the signal of an officer, evading responsibility, driving the wrong way on a divided highway and first-degree reckless endangerment.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
The women’s games are covered by ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNNEWS, with some of the marquee team’s early games carried on ABC.—
Eric Womack,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The open casting call has been made, and auditions are scheduled for this spring, as early as next week, and will carry on throughout the summer.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
