1
as in acted 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 cut 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 acted up
And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.
—
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted up
Verb
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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
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Like other states around the country, Tennessee was closing its public psychiatric hospitals, and mentally ill people who acted out were simply being jailed.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of dwelling in doubt, cut up paper and throw it around.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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Firefighting crews worked Monday to cool residual heat and prevent hot spots from causing reignition, using chainsaws to fell and cut up hazardous trees, inspecting each section for heat and using hoses to extinguish any remaining embers.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Back in April, Brittany proudly showed off some snaps of her girl dressed in a cowboy hat, denim dress and cowboy boots.—
Clare Fisher,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
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Fans cheered wildly as Kelce showed off his team cap and wine-and-gold shirt.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
24 May 2026
Verb
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However, all of the city’s fire stations seemingly disobeyed the mayor by lowering their flags.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The group says Ensign misled courts, disobeyed court orders and failed to intervene when lawyers under his supervision engaged in misconduct.—
Jaclyn Diaz,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That would be a fitting tribute, and one that could be carried on throughout the NASCAR season and beyond, in much the way Alan Kulwicki’s reverse victory lap has long threaded its way through the sport.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
23 May 2026
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The mayor did not say anything back and carried on with his remarks.—
Aditi Sangal,
CNN Money,
18 May 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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As a young woman, my mother rebelled against this laborious femininity, mostly wearing jeans and loose men’s shirts.—
Benny Peterson,
Vogue,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While hundreds reveled at Thursday night’s all-out bash for The Pierre hotel’s 95th anniversary, some of the building’s tenants in the floors above haven’t been feeling quite as celebratory.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
21 Nov. 2025
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In the party scene, though, there would be plenty of swooping camera movements as the guests revelled.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Acted up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted%20up. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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