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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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
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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
Verb
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Using unseen footage from Presley’s 1969 to 1976 Las Vegas residency, the movie plays the hits – plus The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel – but also showcases his sense of humor, quipping with crowds and cutting up with bandmates.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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And so they were cut up into pieces.—
Michael Soncin,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 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,
29 Apr. 2026
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The group says Ensign misled courts, disobeyed court orders and failed to intervene when lawyers under his supervision engaged in misconduct.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cozying up to Holland on the red carpet, Zendaya showed off her asymmetrical skirt, which featured a hip-high slit on her left side that was crowned with a rosette.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
15 June 2026
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In its first international friendly since March, the US showed off slick offense in a 3-2 win over Senegal in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 31.—
Jim Sciutto,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Not the basic counting, which carried on, but the analysis sitting on top of it.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Their momentum carried on, ending the half with 2-0.—
Zuri Primos
June 13,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 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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Jane rebelled against Marge’s efforts to manage her choices, especially on whom to date.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
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As a young woman, my mother rebelled against this laborious femininity, mostly wearing jeans and loose men’s shirts.—
Benny Peterson,
Vogue,
4 May 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 19 Jun. 2026.
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