act out
verb
acted out; acting out; acts out
1
a
: to represent in action
children act out what they read
b
: to translate into action
unwilling to act out their beliefs
2
: to express (something, such as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without modification to comply with social norms
: to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (such as fear or frustration)
Examples of act out in a Sentence
because his parents spent so much time with his chronically ill sister, the boy resorted to acting out in order to get attention
Recent Examples on the Web
Gracie using Benjamin Bratt to act out self-defense moves on national TV?
—
Emma Specter, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2025
Being a chameleon as a musician is one thing — Cyrus always had a great voice — but her ongoing identity crisis and need to act out came to define what was otherwise a productive and interesting time.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Vanessa Saba Listen to this article · 5:23 min Learn more
By Christina Caron
Feb. 20, 2025
When Jennifer S. Wortham was a teenager, her younger brother Patrick started acting out and getting in trouble at school.
—Christina Caron, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
However, Daniel again began to act out, smoke marijuana and get into trouble with the law.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
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Emma Specter, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2025
Being a chameleon as a musician is one thing — Cyrus always had a great voice — but her ongoing identity crisis and need to act out came to define what was otherwise a productive and interesting time.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Vanessa Saba Listen to this article · 5:23 min Learn more
By Christina Caron
Feb. 20, 2025
When Jennifer S. Wortham was a teenager, her younger brother Patrick started acting out and getting in trouble at school.
—Christina Caron, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
However, Daniel again began to act out, smoke marijuana and get into trouble with the law.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/act%20out. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
act out
transitive verb
: to express (as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without modification to comply with social norms
act out an adolescent fantasy
: to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (as fear or frustration)
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