as in ran riot
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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Recent Examples of acted out
Administration officials have argued Ross acted out of self-defense, alleging Good was impeding federal law enforcement.
—
Amie Parnes, The Hill, 18 Jan. 2026
His observations about the barbarity of women’s beauty regimens aren’t exactly new, but they are acted out with enthusiasm and verve.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
Ordained to the Catholic priesthood in June, Jimenez was watching as parishioners acted out the Nativity scene during a posada, a Latin American tradition that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem in search of shelter.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
Others abused alcohol and drugs, were separated and divorced, or acted out violently.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
The loyal troupe fought with bullies and acted out Smith’s tales, some of which were loosely based on her favorite books (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Little Women, Nancy Drew).
—Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
At one point, Swift acted out swooning, possibly in response to something Travis did on the field.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
In the clip, which was shared by celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Jenner and Appleton, 42, acted out daughter Kim Kardashian's viral quote from The Kardashians.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
But in a script Colorado fans have seen acted out too many times, Dallas kept finding ways to capitalize against the run of play.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Amie Parnes, The Hill, 18 Jan. 2026
His observations about the barbarity of women’s beauty regimens aren’t exactly new, but they are acted out with enthusiasm and verve.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
Ordained to the Catholic priesthood in June, Jimenez was watching as parishioners acted out the Nativity scene during a posada, a Latin American tradition that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem in search of shelter.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
Others abused alcohol and drugs, were separated and divorced, or acted out violently.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
The loyal troupe fought with bullies and acted out Smith’s tales, some of which were loosely based on her favorite books (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Little Women, Nancy Drew).
—Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
At one point, Swift acted out swooning, possibly in response to something Travis did on the field.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
In the clip, which was shared by celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Jenner and Appleton, 42, acted out daughter Kim Kardashian's viral quote from The Kardashians.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
But in a script Colorado fans have seen acted out too many times, Dallas kept finding ways to capitalize against the run of play.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted 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
-
One aviation expert argued that IndiGo not only disobeyed the regulations, but also increased its domestic flights without increasing crew and pilots.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
-
The West Africa branch, for instance, has carried on as usual.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The trend carried on into the second quarter, as sophomore Will Palmer drilled a three-pointer with five minutes to play in the half as the Skippers constructed a 30-20 lead.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The end of the prohibition came earlier than originally planned as a group of moderate Republicans rebelled against leadership in September, winning a concession to shorten the length of the pause by two months.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
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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
“Acted out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted%20out. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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