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
When school started, the boy's parents quickly became aware their son was having outbursts and acting out physically.
—
Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2025
Gen Z is making risky investments The third way Gen Z is acting out against their inability to buy a home, the researchers argue, is by taking on risky investments, like buying cryptocurrencies.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025
After that, Ray began acting out.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
There is defiance among the four, acting out of spite for their own losses, but not what Nick’s life stands to gain.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2025
Gen Z is making risky investments The third way Gen Z is acting out against their inability to buy a home, the researchers argue, is by taking on risky investments, like buying cryptocurrencies.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025
After that, Ray began acting out.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
There is defiance among the four, acting out of spite for their own losses, but not what Nick’s life stands to gain.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
-
Hours after the shooting, Noem defended the ICE officer who shot Good, saying the woman had blocked federal officers with her SUV and disobeyed orders to get out of her vehicle.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
9 Jan. 2026
-
In response, the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents Pakota Valley, filed a new lawsuit against the policy and filed a motion alleging the city is disobeying court orders.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Coalition members also agreed to carry on with long-term military support for Ukraine and pledged defense cooperation, including training, defense production and intelligence sharing.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The notebook includes not just copies of letters in the Watkins papers but Virginia’s meticulous record of her fact-checking and her correspondence with Polly about the book’s success, spin-offs, sequels, and other projects carrying on to Polly’s death in 1962.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood weren’t afraid to act up on Friday night.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2026
-
And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Gardeners, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are rebelling against throwaway culture by ditching disposable gardening.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In Spanish Santo Domingo, the first slave society in the Americas, Africans on a sugar plantation owned by Christopher Columbus’s son rebelled on Christmas Day 1521.—
Laurent Dubois,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
