as in to raise hell
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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of act out
The Police Department contends the gunman acted out of fear and self-defense, the statement says, which led him to pull the trigger.
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Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
The Selzer poll has been viewed as evidence that pollsters calling the race a dead heat have been acting out of a desire to seek safety in numbers following the shock 2016 election result that failed to spot latent support for Trump.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
The trial ended with two deadlocked juries, unable to agree on whether the brothers were guilty of murder or acted out of fear.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Letting your emotions rule and acting out of instinct will tempt you when patience is required to avoid a costly mistake.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for act out 
Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
The Selzer poll has been viewed as evidence that pollsters calling the race a dead heat have been acting out of a desire to seek safety in numbers following the shock 2016 election result that failed to spot latent support for Trump.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
The trial ended with two deadlocked juries, unable to agree on whether the brothers were guilty of murder or acted out of fear.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Letting your emotions rule and acting out of instinct will tempt you when patience is required to avoid a costly mistake.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
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The police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security detail, accusing them of disobeying orders and hindering a congressional inquiry involving her chief of staff.Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
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In 2017, Trump pardoned former Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was charged with criminal contempt of court for disobeying a federal judge's order to stop racially profiling in detaining individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Overall, the interior styling and trim carries on the sense of quality from the exterior.James Morris, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
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Things have come a long way from the days when such instruments were huge, blocky things that had to be placed on a stand or carried on the shoulder to use.David Szondy, New Atlas, 29 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Exactly zero of the acts up for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, or Best Rock Album are first-time nominees.Justin Curto, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
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Service animals, emotional support animals, acting up.Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
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Elphaba and Glinda, who spent the first act and film becoming friends against all odds, go their separate ways as Elphaba chooses to rebel against the Wizard and Glinda stays behind.Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024
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According to Guerrero's biography, Miller, a contrarian by nature, began rebelling early against the liberal bent of his family, hometown and high school.Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near act out
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
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