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
-
At one point, Swift acted out swooning, possibly in response to something Travis did on the field.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025 -
In the clip, which was shared by celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Jenner and Appleton, 42, acted out daughter Kim Kardashian's viral quote from The Kardashians.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The boat therefore needed metal or plastic cages installed around the engines, so that the diver wouldn’t get accidentally cut up by their blades — and finding a boat and then the right cages fit onto the boat would take time.—
Samanth Subramanian,
The Dial,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Techniques like this have been around for some time, but Micro-C uses an enzyme that can cut up DNA more finely than before.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After her performance, Karol, who was wearing a red-hot, lacy bodysuit, got her own set of wings and showed off her catwalk.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The right side of the dress featured a loose, flowing sleeve with subtle draping for an effortless look, but the opposite side of the dress showed off the influencer's toned figure.—
Starr Bowenbank,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Harvick said the agency gave lawful orders for the crowd to move back, which were disobeyed.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
-
This was neither the first nor the last time that Patton disobeyed an order.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Inaba and Hough offered each other conciliatory smiles before the remaining judges carried on with their comments.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Like a true professional, Garcia simply scooped up the item and carried on down the catwalk.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By the 1970s and ’80s, the Obituary, like many classic cocktails, had lost popularity among a generation who rebelled against the drinks of their parents, preferring sweeter concoctions like the Long Island Iced Tea and Slippery Nipple.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
Denver Post,
28 Oct. 2025
-
But as happened with a controversial development planned for Cincinnati's Hyde Park neighborhood, residents rebelled – and forced a referendum to repeal the approval.—
Sydney Franklin,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
24 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share