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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1
2
as in carouser
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cut up
Ashley Poskin, Martha Stewart, 1 Feb. 2026
Options laid out in an Interior Department study of new operating rules absent a seven-state solution envision Lower Basin cuts up to twice what the Southwestern states have suggested.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 31 Jan. 2026
A.a. Dowd, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2024
Joe Walsh gonna Joe Walsh Rock and roll has no shortage of cutups and characters in its ranks, but few are as divinely silly as Joe Walsh.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cut up
Verb
Cleaning and Organizational Supplies Keep an eye out for unused kitchen linens and old beach towels that can be cut up and used as rags.
—Ashley Poskin, Martha Stewart, 1 Feb. 2026
Options laid out in an Interior Department study of new operating rules absent a seven-state solution envision Lower Basin cuts up to twice what the Southwestern states have suggested.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Noun
Apparently all-in on Reynolds, Hollywood is now reasoning that his star power — some chemically adhesive combination of dashing leading man, comic-relief cutup, and lifestyle mogul — will prove irresistible regardless of the context.
—A.a. Dowd, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2024
Joe Walsh gonna Joe Walsh Rock and roll has no shortage of cutups and characters in its ranks, but few are as divinely silly as Joe Walsh.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cut up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cut up
Verb
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Koutouvides transitioned to life after football, found success in real estate development throughout Connecticut, but the pain of losing the Super Bowl twinges and acts up like an old joint injury.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
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Likewise, when the young men started acting up, Josephine Holt took a keen interest in her newspaper.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Her jokester father worked for a railway; her realtor mother was a gifted mimic whose impressions of clients enlivened family dinners.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
10 Feb. 2026
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Interviewer, jokester, legal correspondent, amateur guitarist.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 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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Ashlyn, who will show off the back of her Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund and Emerging Designer Award wins; and Daniella Kallmeyer, who was nominated for the CFDA’s American Womenswear Designer of the Year.—
Hilary Milnes,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
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Take Danielle Deadwyler, known as a dramatic heavyweight in award-winning projects like Till and The Piano Lesson, who gets to show off her goofier side here as Dylan, a poetry professor who becomes a wary confidante of Greg’s — and often steals the show.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The couple fought about money, household chores, and Anton's alleged reputation as a party animal.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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The legendary nightlife scene in Belgrade, Serbia, is the recommendation for party animals in Europe.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In April 2020, Iglesias shared a video of him horsing around with Lucy and Nicholas as the pair attempted to climb on his back for a ride.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
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At this point in time, my little AI company, a lean and mean group of passionate believers, is horsing around fine-tuning the product, living on a couple of angel investments, where a 10X return on few million dollars is very satisfying, not only to the angel, but also to the employees.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Actor-comedian Cecily Strong is 42.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Feb. 2026
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The British Whitehall, primarily known as a stand-up comedian, panel show guest and presenter, makes a fine romantic lead.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
“Cut up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cut%20up. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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