as in to misconduct
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 act out
The company accused Musk of acting out of personal motives.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026
Garcia says, acting out the usual blush of so many bewildered men.
—Darío Gael Blanco, Vanity Fair, 25 Apr. 2026
Friends and family say Wright acted out throughout the trial, including missing previous court dates and removing himself from the stand.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for act out
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026
Garcia says, acting out the usual blush of so many bewildered men.
—Darío Gael Blanco, Vanity Fair, 25 Apr. 2026
Friends and family say Wright acted out throughout the trial, including missing previous court dates and removing himself from the stand.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
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The department’s internal affairs unit was investigating Saulter on allegations of falsifying time sheets, disobeying a direct order and failing to properly report part-time employment, according to the letter.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 May 2026
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Authorities last August removed Dodik from the post of the president and temporarily banned him from politics for disobeying Schmidt's decisions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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He was originally supposed to go to China in April, but the trip was delayed as the war in Iran carried on.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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This will natively carry on platforms such YouTube and TikTok.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Baye continued acting up until 2023.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Jane rebelled against Marge’s efforts to manage her choices, especially on whom to date.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
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Embracing a visual vocabulary of the lowbrow and the rudimentary is a tried-and-true method of rebelling against a culture that feels vapid or corporatized.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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