as in running 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 acting out
The Kinahans seemed to be acting out of pure rage.
—
Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
But when her school’s principal suggests that her acting out might be covering up a learning disability, Claire’s mom is hesitant to have her evaluated.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 15 Oct. 2025
Family described Wilks as an only son who was acting out of his character, which is normally soft-spoken and well-mannered.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Some cases even involve disgruntled family members acting out of greed.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Many adults can remember acting out scenes as doctor and patient, or using sticks and leaves as imaginary currency.
—Ekaterina Muravevskaia, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025
Then Bostwick hits the road through November for screenings around the country with live shadow casts of performers acting out the movie in front of the screen.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
An animal physiotherapist and acupuncturist, Megan Taylor, posted on her Instagram @tayloredvetphysio the question of whether owners have noticed their senior dogs dreaming more intensely or acting out compared to younger canines.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
His brittle mum Heather (a heartbreaking and frustrating Shirley Henderson) is barely holding things together as is, and then John starts, well, acting out?
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting out
Verb
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Its general sensibility seems more Superstore than The Office, down to the interstitial montages of customers acting up in the perpetually overcrowded waiting room.—
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Sturm said his back started acting up after the team’s first practice.—
Verb
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The notebook includes not just copies of letters in the Watkins papers but Virginia’s meticulous record of her fact-checking and her correspondence with Polly about the book’s success, spin-offs, sequels, and other projects carrying on to Polly’s death in 1962.—
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Since the Palisades Fire, Bass's opponents have criticized her for carrying on with a diplomatic trip to Ghana despite the National Weather Service issuing fire weather advisories.—
Verb
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In response, the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents Pakota Valley, filed a new lawsuit against the policy and filed a motion alleging the city is disobeying court orders.—
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He is also accused of disobeying a superior officer and making a false official statement.—
Verb
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Communities are rebelling against the construction of massive data farms.—
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Gardeners, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are rebelling against throwaway culture by ditching disposable gardening.—
Cite this Entry
“Acting out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting%20out. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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