act out

verb

Definition of act outnext
as in to misconduct
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of act out The statement accused Blake of acting out of retaliation for an incident that occurred earlier in the lacrosse season. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026 When a teacher, coach, counselor, pediatrician, or school psychologist sees a boy who is withdrawing, escalating, or acting out, that should prompt care. — Wes Moore, STAT, 1 July 2026 But, again, is acting out of expediency and the desire to streamline a conclusive end the same as delivering a final season representing the best of The Bear? — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026 Eventually, the rewrite and actors workshop rehearsal combined — a two-week period in which Jones, McCormick, Wilde, Rogen, Cruz, and Norton acted out, improvised scenes, and, most importantly, talked about characters. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for act out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act out
  1. misconduct
  2. disobey
  3. carry on
  4. act up
  5. rebel
Verb
  • In addition, referees were instructed to apply the rules regarding fouls and misconducts more strictly – a move meant to protect players and their inventiveness.
    — Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Definition of misconduct
Verb
  • Santana-Mateo was booked on charges of breach of peace, engaging police in a pursuit, disobeying the direction of officer, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive right, failure to obey a traffic control signal and driving the wrong way on a one way.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
  • In 2024, the agency claimed that X security staff sometimes had to pointedly disobey Musk in order to remain in compliance.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2026
Definition of disobey
Verb
  • Do not use to cover a ceiling Do not carry the flag flat — and things should not be carried on it.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2026
  • Five of those have powered each variant of Russia’s R-7 rocket family since the 1950s, a legacy now carried on by the Soyuz launch vehicle.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 3 July 2026
Definition of carry on
Verb
  • Currently, Screen Time often acts up and just cuts off access to all apps, whether it’s supposed to or not.
    — Tyler Hayes, PC Magazine, 9 June 2026
  • Baye continued acting up until 2023.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
Definition of act up
Verb
  • The common narrative is fixated upon 1776, the 13 rebelling Colonies and the bold military actions of Founding Fathers such as George Washington.
    — Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • The only possible solution was to rebel against it.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
Definition of rebel

Browse Nearby Words

actors
act out
actress
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Cite this Entry

“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20out. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on act out

Nglish: Translation of act out for Spanish Speakers

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