as in ran riot
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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Recent Examples of acted out
Ordained to the Catholic priesthood in June, Jimenez was watching as parishioners acted out the Nativity scene during a posada, a Latin American tradition that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem in search of shelter.
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Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
Others abused alcohol and drugs, were separated and divorced, or acted out violently.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
The loyal troupe fought with bullies and acted out Smith’s tales, some of which were loosely based on her favorite books (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Little Women, Nancy Drew).
—Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
At one point, Swift acted out swooning, possibly in response to something Travis did on the field.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
In the clip, which was shared by celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Jenner and Appleton, 42, acted out daughter Kim Kardashian's viral quote from The Kardashians.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
But in a script Colorado fans have seen acted out too many times, Dallas kept finding ways to capitalize against the run of play.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
Day-Lewis often acted out dialogue, as speed typist Ronan took everything down on the computer.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Advocates say the footage undermines claims that agents acted out of fear for their lives, while federal officials insist an ongoing investigation will clarify what happened.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted out
Verb
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Hours after the shooting, Noem defended the ICE officer who shot Good, saying the woman had blocked federal officers with her SUV and disobeyed orders to get out of her vehicle.—
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One aviation expert argued that IndiGo not only disobeyed the regulations, but also increased its domestic flights without increasing crew and pilots.—
Verb
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And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.—
Verb
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Unable to turn back against the strong currents of the Napo, the party, now reduced to just 50, carried on downriver toward the Amazon.—
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In Russia, Cuba, Iran, Belarus, and Uganda, dictatorships have carried on for decades—oppressing and killing their people, attacking their neighbors, and destabilizing their regions.—
Verb
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In Spanish Santo Domingo, the first slave society in the Americas, Africans on a sugar plantation owned by Christopher Columbus’s son rebelled on Christmas Day 1521.—
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The House is set to vote on a bill to extend the subsidies as-is for three years after four Republicans rebelled against GOP leaders and joined a Democratic effort to force the measure to the floor.—
Cite this Entry
“Acted out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted%20out. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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