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
Then there was Erik Wilson, who has been DoP across all three films, plus Javier Marzan, the professional clown who acted out many of Paddington’s more physical comedy scenes for the animators to work with.
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Alex Ritman, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024
The pro scout preparing advance reports on opponents will go through the roster and highlight players prone to having their buttons pushed and acting out.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2024
The videos, which have amassed millions of views, all start the same; a narrator lip-syncs the opening lyrics as their classmates dance around to act out the story of the song's protagonist, Simón.
—Quispe López, Them, 28 Oct. 2024
When Adam acts out, Drew is often sworn at, derided, manipulated and disrespected.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for act out 
Alex Ritman, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024
The pro scout preparing advance reports on opponents will go through the roster and highlight players prone to having their buttons pushed and acting out.
—Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2024
The videos, which have amassed millions of views, all start the same; a narrator lip-syncs the opening lyrics as their classmates dance around to act out the story of the song's protagonist, Simón.
—Quispe López, Them, 28 Oct. 2024
When Adam acts out, Drew is often sworn at, derided, manipulated and disrespected.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
Verb
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Suzie is livid that Sunny kept the bird, disobeying Suzie’s orders.Chris Klimek, Vulture, 31 July 2024
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Clips recorded before and after the hearing were aired anyway by various news outlets, disobeying the court's directives, and Gull has denied each media request to record hearings and the trial ever since.Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
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But whatever the result, expect the indie film industry to carry on.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
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His wartime London contains worlds within worlds, many of them unexpected, as Rita and George in their ways exemplify the old British mantra of keeping calm and carrying on, even when doing so seems impossible.Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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But in 1954, Brando was at the height of his talents, bringing American acting up to and past to the British standard for the first time, with a realism achieved through that delicate balancing of gender qualities that pretty much no one before or after mastered in the same way.Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 23 July 2024
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Babies remain the last vestige of scoundrels in sequel terms, so naturally the movie introduces a son to Gru (voiced as usual by Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) who, semi-amusingly, can’t stand his dad, screaming or acting up in some other way every time Gru picks him up.Brian Lowry, CNN, 2 July 2024
Verb
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But her son didn’t rebel during a game the rest of that season.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2024
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Milioti arrived as Nanette Cole, a new hire to the company whose clone rallies the others to rebel against their jailer.Nick Romano, EW.com, 14 Oct. 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 22 Nov. 2024.
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