as in running 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
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Recent Examples of acting out
This reality means that the environmental review angle can be an effective veto over development by NIMBY groups and others acting out of ideological rather than environmentally-conscious concerns.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
If previous records massaged her hedonism into silky, professional-grade pop, the sound on WOR$T GIRL is all sinew and scrap metal, a leaner and meaner vehicle for acting out.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
Mia is really acting out her character and has butt pads so lumpy that Michelle Visage got up off her couch to come over to the Hamptons to yell at her.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Reports from those calls reveal a spectrum of youth behaviors, from hallway bullying to acting out because of problems at home.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026
With the games dripping out, one at a time, the entire planet is focused on a single match while it is being played, all the eyes of the world resting on twenty-two elite athletes acting out a sporting telenovela, living making decisions without a script, under conditions of hysterical pressure.
—Jeffrey Pierre, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
Furthermore, writing and acting out plays about their experiences with type 1 diabetes also eases children’s anxieties around their condition.
—Elizabeth McClure, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
But McNicholas said that the department is acting out of concern about public perception and to punish the officers for refusing to remove the plates when asked to do so by their superiors.
—Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The tune was generated using AI music generator Suno, with the accompanying content created by the team at Particle6, used new techniques around performance capture, with Particle6 founder Eline van der Velden acting out Tilly’s performance.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
If previous records massaged her hedonism into silky, professional-grade pop, the sound on WOR$T GIRL is all sinew and scrap metal, a leaner and meaner vehicle for acting out.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
Mia is really acting out her character and has butt pads so lumpy that Michelle Visage got up off her couch to come over to the Hamptons to yell at her.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Reports from those calls reveal a spectrum of youth behaviors, from hallway bullying to acting out because of problems at home.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026
With the games dripping out, one at a time, the entire planet is focused on a single match while it is being played, all the eyes of the world resting on twenty-two elite athletes acting out a sporting telenovela, living making decisions without a script, under conditions of hysterical pressure.
—Jeffrey Pierre, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
Furthermore, writing and acting out plays about their experiences with type 1 diabetes also eases children’s anxieties around their condition.
—Elizabeth McClure, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
But McNicholas said that the department is acting out of concern about public perception and to punish the officers for refusing to remove the plates when asked to do so by their superiors.
—Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
The tune was generated using AI music generator Suno, with the accompanying content created by the team at Particle6, used new techniques around performance capture, with Particle6 founder Eline van der Velden acting out Tilly’s performance.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting out
Verb
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The capsule’s toilet is already acting up.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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The black flies are not the only troublesome creature acting up during the unseasonably warm weather.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The ground beneath your feet may be carrying on a kind of conversation.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
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Marcos Acosta might seem like an unlikely character to be carrying on the two-century-long tradition of Western American art in Colorado.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Nikolas Hart, 25, with six counts, including felony animal cruelty and misdemeanors related to allegations of domestic violence, witness tampering and disobeying a court order.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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He was arraigned Monday and pleaded not guilty to one felony count of animal cruelty, one misdemeanor charge each of injury to a spouse or cohabitant and attempting to dissuade a victim or witness, and three counts of disobeying a court order to not contact the victim.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Two decades after Steve Jobs premiered the iPhone, a small but passionate movement — with offshoots in several countries — is rebelling against the omnipresent screen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
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Republicans themselves remain divided over how to proceed, with some hard-right lawmakers already rebelling against the shutdown deal.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acting out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting%20out. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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