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
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Recent Examples of acted up
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
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted up
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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The new congressional map in Virginia effectively cuts up the state’s 11 House districts to give Democrats an advantage in 10 of them.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
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The Gates Foundation plans to cut up to 500 jobs, or about 20% of its staff, in the coming years as part of a long-term restructuring, as the foundation also undergoes an external review of its ties to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Following tea with the king and queen in the White House Green room, the Trumps showed off the White House’s new beehive to the royal couple.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Sophomore Nate Roberts is a 6-5, 240-pounder who has blocking experience and showed off versatility catching passes in the spring.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, all of the city’s fire stations seemingly disobeyed the mayor by lowering their flags.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
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In one story, the king, Hiranyakashipu, ordered everyone in his kingdom to worship him and was irked when his own son Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, disobeyed his command.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The couple carried on despite high waters, a testament to love and resilience in the face of severe weather.—
Kamala Thiagarajan,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2026
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And so Lobanov and Stetsenko carried on with their plans, exchanging vows at the Palace of Culture and then heading to a nearby café with their guests to celebrate.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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More than two centuries after the 13 colonies rebelled against King George III and sent his redcoats packing, a direct descendant of that monarch will arrive Monday in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from British rule.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
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When garnished with the story of an impetuous son who rebelled against a Mughal emperor, that lamb broth does give a different kick.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While hundreds reveled at Thursday night’s all-out bash for The Pierre hotel’s 95th anniversary, some of the building’s tenants in the floors above haven’t been feeling quite as celebratory.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
21 Nov. 2025
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In the party scene, though, there would be plenty of swooping camera movements as the guests revelled.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acted up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted%20up. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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