overact

Definition of overactnext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of overact Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes. Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025 His presence is fresh, empathetic, often hypnotic, and never overacted. Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025 One could easily be accused of overacting, of doing too much. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025 The college student performers from the Hartt School aren’t encouraged to overact during the party scene anymore — no more drunk jokes or pratfalls. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for overact
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overact
Verb
  • On the other hand, its artistic approach and wider story arc underplay the horror of WW1 combat.
    Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • In a lot of ways, Abrams’ underplay show at the storied club, billed as a free evening with the star, was more than just a celebration of her new album Daughter From Hell or practice for her upcoming tour.
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • The brothers pepper in POV shots of the climbers to literally put the audience in their shoes, but don’t overplay their hand, maintaining palpable reality even when the challenges mount to comical levels.
    Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Cienfuegos’ show is exceptionally well-acted by the entire cast, this being a company that holds its fictional characters close to the heart and is determined never to overplay in this intimate venue.
    Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Carrie Schmidt and Kimberly Twente were among a group of residents behind the petition seeking to enact a ban on large data centers in Edgerton.
    Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
  • What started in one state court has now spread across the country, with a plethora of athletes filing lawsuits against the NCAA, and now SEC, over new guidelines enacted pertaining to the five-for-five eligibility.
    Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The next time your child acts out, try doing these five things.
    Juli Fraga, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Inside, under flickering lights, a group of reluctant strangers is coaxed into acting out, in a converted gymnasium, a wild tale promising redemption from agonizing tragedy.
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • And besides, there’s a theory that, with the meow, the cats were evolving to imitate us.
    Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • To make a famous ivory-navy-and-red bouclé suit worn by Coco herself, for example, the team used combs from Walmart to crosshatch the paint’s surface and added dollops of paint to imitate bouclé’s popcorn texture.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Today, Margaret would be playacting her own massacre in active shooter drills at school.
    Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 May 2023
  • Trump’s modus, as ever, was to playact; his game has always been improv.
    Joe Klein, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Verb
  • The Trial of Louise Woodward will dramatize the story of Woodward, an 18-year-old British au pair who in 1997 was accused of shaking to death a baby who was left in her care by her host family in Massachusetts.
    Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
  • Two teenagers, aided by an arborist, climbed a 100-foot pine tree outside a Pasadena high school Saturday to dramatize a campaign to stop a soil remediation project calling for the removal of nearly 200 trees at several school campuses.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
Verb
  • Who hasn’t hustled out into the backyard to mimic their sports heroes?
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The decor possibilities are endless with this set of eight artificial greenery bundles that mimic leafy fall shrubs.
    Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Overact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overact. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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