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 kid acts up, the dad disciplines him and mom just sends a sorry text.
—
Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Then the engine started acting up, which would have cost up to $10,000 to fix.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Lots of time spent acting up and acting out with your family.
—Outside Online, 3 Sep. 2025
Johnson, who struggles with a neuroma, swears by her Oofos mules to keep it from acting up.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
Then the engine started acting up, which would have cost up to $10,000 to fix.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Lots of time spent acting up and acting out with your family.
—Outside Online, 3 Sep. 2025
Johnson, who struggles with a neuroma, swears by her Oofos mules to keep it from acting up.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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In order to break free of those constraints, Hedda acts out and becomes an architect of destruction.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Kinahans seemed to be acting out of pure rage.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The chicken, now cut up into small pieces at the lunch hour, soaks up the broth and packs an even more flavorful punch.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
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Guests ate slices of Chantilly sheet cakes from Whole Foods, which were cut up in the back and served with the rest of the desserts.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For Halloween 2021, Pepper Thai — cookbook author and Chrissy Teigen's mom — showed off her costume on Instagram as the ultimate momager, wearing a fur coat and holding a Hermès Birkin bag.—
Diana Pearl,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Lemmon takes on the sheer look in a diaphanous black silk organza skirt and jacket layered over the tricolor, while Jacobson leaves her suit jacket open to show off an ab-baring cropped button-down and midi skirt.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
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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Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025
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Heath Ryan, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Olympics, can be seen in the video – which the rider said is about two years old – hitting a horse around 40 times.—
Matias Grez,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Verb
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The Medium Crossgrain Leather Wallet is slim enough to slip into your favorite handbag, but stylish enough to carry on its own as a clutch.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
4 Nov. 2025
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Jordan Marshall was cramping in the fourth quarter and still gutted out seven carries on a drive that bled the final six minutes from the clock.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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