as in to act up
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
high-spirited cousins who cut up at every family gathering
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in carouser
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cut up
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
When the singing was done Ma Binney brought me back to her tent and cut up a tomato, put it between two slices of bread, and served it to me on a china plate taken from a wooden chest next to her bed-roll.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Martinez was looking at cutups Monday morning of 6-6, 20-year-old right-hander Travis Sykora, Washington’s third-round pick in 2023, who’s coming on, uh, quickly.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cut up
Verb
Most Popular Notorious murderer Richard Crafts, who used a chain saw to cut up his wife’s body and a wood chipper to dispose of it, is out of prison and living in a halfway house, a state Department of Correction spokeswoman said Friday.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
When the singing was done Ma Binney brought me back to her tent and cut up a tomato, put it between two slices of bread, and served it to me on a china plate taken from a wooden chest next to her bed-roll.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
There is a video cutup that has frequented social media over the last year featuring all of Edwards’ missed shots at the end of close games.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Martinez was looking at cutups Monday morning of 6-6, 20-year-old right-hander Travis Sykora, Washington’s third-round pick in 2023, who’s coming on, uh, quickly.
—David Aldridge, The Athletic, 27 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cut up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut up
Verb
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There is no defeat quite like sitting down for a gaming session after a 10-hour workday, hoping to get your woes out by winning some battles, but your ancient monitor decides to act up.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
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The capsule’s toilet is already acting up.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And, of course, radio jokester and provocateur Stern.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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There are Jewish jokes and Jewish jokesters and Nazis who torture and kill the jokesters.—
Cathleen Schine,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Take William Shakespeare, who is often portrayed as a carouser, downing pints while exchanging barbs with his fellow writers, cheating on his wife with both men and women, passionately engaging his quill to reimagine the very nature of the human being.—
Isaac Butler,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The curatorial choices are less about building an experience around some grand concept or documenting an important moment in art history, and more about showing off what is in the storeroom, or in this case, the closets.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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The group, which focuses specifically on movie theater containers, not theme park buckets, now has more than 15,000 members who share tips on how to score new drops, trade or resell buckets, or simply show off their collections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Less so, the 2026 Grand Prix and actor (Ignacy Liss) win for Poland’s ‘Proud,’ about a young gay party animal suddenly forced to step up his game and take care of his sister’s baby.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2026
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Troup’s father, Guppy Troup, is in the PBA Hall of Fame, and was a renowned party animal in his prime.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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But Andrew continued to live at the home and was often seen riding his horse around Windsor Great Park and photographed waving to crowds.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The 66-year-old comedian tells PEOPLE that performing with the late actress on Whose Line Is It Anyway?—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
5 Apr. 2026
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Bamford is a stand-up beloved by other performers, and her show features no small number of comedians in cameo roles.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And this fool is taking it with the fools around him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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And there’s this: No fooling around in mid-June and having a life event get in the way of the March Madness get-together nine months later.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cut up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cut%20up. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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