1
as in to act 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 to 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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of act up
Service animals, emotional support animals, acting up.
—
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2024
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
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
Nobody's that good an actor to keep this act up for 50 years.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for act up 
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2024
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
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
Nobody's that good an actor to keep this act up for 50 years.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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So maybe, on some level, Jeff was acting out his cavalier attitude toward his own masculine spirit.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
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But by high school, Daniel began getting into trouble and acting out at home and in school, his father told the Miami Herald in the months after the stabbings.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Police then went to English's car to search for additional destructive devices and found a 750-milliliter bottle of Smirnoff vodka as well as a gray sweatshirt that had been cut up.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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How cut up was John Bell and the whole team that day?—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In 2000, the company showed off the first Blu-ray prototypes and later revealed its Blu-ray disc recorders in 2006.—
Emma Roth,
The Verge,
24 Jan. 2025
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In 2023, the track was filled with its largest ever motorcycle parade and last year beach buggies assembled to show off on the track.—
Trinity Francis,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The unidentified pre-teen was horsing around and throwing snowballs in Connecticut’s capital city with an 11-year-old friend, local ABC affiliate WTNH reported.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2025
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Among racing’s many problems is that there are no dedicated air shipping companies that make moving horses around the country easy.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Dec. 2024
Verb
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At the end of a two-day hearing that saw Giuliani take the stand, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman agreed with the election workers that the former New York City mayor willfully disobeyed requirements to turn over information about his professional services and messaging accounts.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
6 Jan. 2025
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Philippine police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security staff for allegedly assaulting authorities and disobeying orders in an altercation in Congress over the brief detention of her chief of staff, who was accused of hampering the congressional inquiry.—
Jim Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Dec. 2024
Verb
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However, the character of the 1956 home has very much carried on decades later in its three bedroom, four bedroom space — even with some matching wallpaper and bedspreads.—
Chyna Blackmon,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Jan. 2025
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However, a handful of events will carry on with a charitable component, including the starry Clive Davis party and MusiCares tribute concert.—
Kirsten Chuba,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Gemma’s niece Cady, now 14, has become a teenager, rebelling against Gemma’s overprotective rules.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
3 Feb. 2025
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Today’s Supreme Court unanimously and actively embraces a progressive writing style, rebelling against old-school grammar rules, according to my study of 10,000 pages of opinions from the past decade.—
Jill Barton,
The Conversation,
24 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near act up
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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