1
as in acted 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted up
Verb
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Prosecutors argued the brothers acted out of greed, resorting to murder to get their multimillion-dollar inheritances before being cut out of their parents’ will.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
21 Aug. 2025 -
At trial, prosecutors argued the brothers acted out of greed, eager to secure their parents' multimillion-dollar estate.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Born Drew Desbordes, Druski, 30, is a long way from the kid who spent his time at the dinner table cutting up.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
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Nobody wants to get their hands cut up by a downward moving blade.—
Vilius Kavaliauskas,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On a number of occasions against Southeast Missouri State, Raynor showed off his escape ability by breaking the pocket to extend plays.—
Michael Harley,
Arkansas Online,
4 Sep. 2025
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For the first time, Gary teen Ellis Dumas IV placed in a national competition and showed off his writing.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In general, those with lithium-ion or lithium-metal batteries should also be carried on board, where flight crews can recognize and respond to lithium battery fires, according to the FAA.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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Despite these incidents, the tradition persisted, and each new Clay Henry has carried on the mantle.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Trump then walked back that threat after markets rebelled, and instead began critiquing Powell’s management of the Federal Reserve more widely—recently targeting its office renovations.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
29 Aug. 2025
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Jordan, now a teen-ager, lives with his mother in Phoenix and has rebelled by becoming a punk rocker.—
Rob Reiner,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Tiny reveled about her husband on her own Instagram.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
3 Sep. 2019
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Cite this Entry
“Acted up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted%20up. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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