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
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
But if O’Brien does decide to walk away after this year, acting out his demise with his mentor, Downey, seems like an apt way to go out.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 16 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
The 98th Academy Awards will nevertheless be acting out of an abundance of caution, per Variety.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 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
Anybody so certain of anything — except maybe that the markets will be open for trading tomorrow — is acting out of their own self-serving interests to drive fear and gain more attention.
—Todd Gordon, CNBC, 10 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
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
But if O’Brien does decide to walk away after this year, acting out his demise with his mentor, Downey, seems like an apt way to go out.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 16 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
The 98th Academy Awards will nevertheless be acting out of an abundance of caution, per Variety.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 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
Anybody so certain of anything — except maybe that the markets will be open for trading tomorrow — is acting out of their own self-serving interests to drive fear and gain more attention.
—Todd Gordon, CNBC, 10 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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Bruce, as the stunt shark built to menace them is nicknamed, is acting up and delaying the acting itself.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, the guests, who have literally just arrived five minutes ago, are already acting up.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For now, retailers who sell kratom products are simply carrying on until they’re investigated by county health inspectors.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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The remainder of the trailer flicks at these while carrying on with her suggestion that Erika is up to no good.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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South Windsor police have charged Rodriguez with evading responsibility, disobeying the signal of an officer, reckless driving, engaging police in pursuit and improper use of a marker, license or registration.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 Mar. 2026
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Michael Schade, who works in the department’s traffic division, said most e-bike accidents were caused by riders disobeying basic traffic rules, like running red lights and not stopping at stop signs.—
Alissa Gary,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The release from the Independent Medical Alliance praised Cole for rebelling against mainstream medical guidance.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Mar. 2026
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Amid all that, Varsity Blues — about a Texas high-school football team rebelling against its abusive coach and holding on to one last gasp of glory before graduation — got a little lost.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acting out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting%20out. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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