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
Relevance
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
-
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
-
The statue of Abraham Lincoln by Mount Rushmore creator Gutzon Borglum was cut up to be sold for its silver content, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
In 2017, the 11 story hotel also showed off a $16 million-plus makeover of its grand lobby, suites and guest rooms.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
The frenetic energy carried on into Saturday night, the climax of the week, the event whence Burning Man gets its name, when the entire city gathers to watch a towering effigy go up in flames.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
Redford rebelled against his father’s cautiousness and indeed against all expectations, even after the family moved to the more upscale Van Nuys.—
Stephen Galloway,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Ali—or Richard Durham channeling Ali—would write just months after the fight that some part of him had always rebelled against the primal allure of his sport.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tiny reveled about her husband on her own Instagram.—
Mya Abraham,
VIBE.com,
3 Sep. 2019
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.
Cite this Entry
“Acted up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted%20up. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share