1
as in acting 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 cutting 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 acting up
Johnson, who struggles with a neuroma, swears by her Oofos mules to keep it from acting up.
—
Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 29 Aug. 2025
Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting up
Verb
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His brittle mum Heather (a heartbreaking and frustrating Shirley Henderson) is barely holding things together as is, and then John starts, well, acting out?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
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Despite their language barrier, Costner did his best to talk to the tribe about buffalo, acting out how the animal would behave.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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The large surface makes cutting up fruits, veggies and meat easy.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The bandeau was attached with a lace mesh fabric, and there was a second triangle cutout showing off her abs.—
Hedy Phillips,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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But standing out and showing off are two different things.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On the streets of Caracas, word of the US strike is on everyone’s lips, but beyond being a popular talking point most people here are keeping calm and carrying on – while doing their best to stay afloat.—
Andrew Raine,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
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More than just another bourbon For the Jackson Purchase team, making bourbon is about carrying on a legacy of distillation in Kentucky and supporting the local community.—
Olivia Evans,
The Courier-Journal,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Fischer faces charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, interfering with an officer, reckless driving, disobeying traffic control signals, failure to drive in the proper lane, disobeying the signal of an officer, failure to display plates and engaging police in a pursuit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acting up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting%20up. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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