acted out

verb

past tense of act out
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

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 acted out During one scene, Einbinder — dressed in a replica of a black dress Gyllenhaal wore in the original film — acted out an explicit orgasm as described in the script, breaking character in the middle of the scene to double over laughing. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 29 July 2026 In the video, Allie dramatically acted out both sides of the conversation, capturing the feeling of trying to extract a straightforward answer from her mom. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026 Prosecutors alleged that Chow acted out of a false belief that Carmack-Belton had shoplifted four bottles of water from his store. — Jeana Fermi, ABC News, 2 June 2026 This is one of the earliest indicators of emotional intelligence because feelings with names become feelings that can be processed instead of acted out. — Reem Raouda, CNBC, 31 May 2026 Our workshop acted out parts of Shange’s text on the first day of a spring semester class in 2010. — Literary Hub, 29 May 2026 Friends and family say Wright acted out throughout the trial, including missing previous court dates and removing himself from the stand. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026 Like other states around the country, Tennessee was closing its public psychiatric hospitals, and mentally ill people who acted out were simply being jailed. — James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 Administration officials have argued Ross acted out of self-defense, alleging Good was impeding federal law enforcement. — Julia Mueller, The Hill, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted out
  1. disobeyed
  2. acted up
  3. carried on
  4. rebelled
Verb
  • Ulysses expresses sorrowful regret for having disobeyed Zeus’ Law – essentially the Golden Rule – in sacking Troy.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2026
  • However, all of the city’s fire stations seemingly disobeyed the mayor by lowering their flags.
    — R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of disobeyed
Verb
  • 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
Definition of acted up
Verb
  • Columbus is coming off an emotional 2-1 win over state rival FC Cincinnati that ended in an altercation, which started in the last minute of the game and carried on past the final whistle.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • The show must go on, however, and once the Bühnenstürmer (stage stormers) had been dealt with, hardy Ole carried on with his character’s near 20-minute monologue calmly, horrifically championing ultra-right political and cultural views.
    — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 31 July 2026
Definition of carried on
Verb
  • Common farmers, including many Revolutionary War veterans, rebelled in opposition to postwar taxation policies.
    — Donovan Fifield, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
  • Bernthal rebelled against the affluence of his upbringing from an early age and charted a more circuitous path to success than his two brothers.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 July 2026
Definition of rebelled

Browse Nearby Words

acted
acted out
acted (toward)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Acted out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted%20out. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All