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
Garcia says, acting out the usual blush of so many bewildered men.
—
Darío Gael Blanco, Vanity Fair, 25 Apr. 2026
This reality means that the environmental review angle can be an effective veto over development by NIMBY groups and others acting out of ideological rather than environmentally-conscious concerns.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
If previous records massaged her hedonism into silky, professional-grade pop, the sound on WOR$T GIRL is all sinew and scrap metal, a leaner and meaner vehicle for acting out.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
Mia is really acting out her character and has butt pads so lumpy that Michelle Visage got up off her couch to come over to the Hamptons to yell at her.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Reports from those calls reveal a spectrum of youth behaviors, from hallway bullying to acting out because of problems at home.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026
With the games dripping out, one at a time, the entire planet is focused on a single match while it is being played, all the eyes of the world resting on twenty-two elite athletes acting out a sporting telenovela, living making decisions without a script, under conditions of hysterical pressure.
—Jeffrey Pierre, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
Furthermore, writing and acting out plays about their experiences with type 1 diabetes also eases children’s anxieties around their condition.
—Elizabeth McClure, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
But McNicholas said that the department is acting out of concern about public perception and to punish the officers for refusing to remove the plates when asked to do so by their superiors.
—Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Darío Gael Blanco, Vanity Fair, 25 Apr. 2026
This reality means that the environmental review angle can be an effective veto over development by NIMBY groups and others acting out of ideological rather than environmentally-conscious concerns.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2026
If previous records massaged her hedonism into silky, professional-grade pop, the sound on WOR$T GIRL is all sinew and scrap metal, a leaner and meaner vehicle for acting out.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
Mia is really acting out her character and has butt pads so lumpy that Michelle Visage got up off her couch to come over to the Hamptons to yell at her.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
Reports from those calls reveal a spectrum of youth behaviors, from hallway bullying to acting out because of problems at home.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026
With the games dripping out, one at a time, the entire planet is focused on a single match while it is being played, all the eyes of the world resting on twenty-two elite athletes acting out a sporting telenovela, living making decisions without a script, under conditions of hysterical pressure.
—Jeffrey Pierre, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
Furthermore, writing and acting out plays about their experiences with type 1 diabetes also eases children’s anxieties around their condition.
—Elizabeth McClure, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
But McNicholas said that the department is acting out of concern about public perception and to punish the officers for refusing to remove the plates when asked to do so by their superiors.
—Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acting out
Verb
-
Baye continued acting up until 2023.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The capsule’s toilet is already acting up.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But life was carrying on, Diane said.—
Sarah Dahlberg,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
-
While the theater seeks a new space, fellow indie theater Central Cinema is carrying on the screenings with 60 percent of its ticket sales going to Grand Illusion’s relocation fund.—
Donald Liebenson,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Trump had to relent on a scheme to prosecute Fed Chair Jerome Powell for disobeying White House commands to cut interest rates.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
26 Apr. 2026
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Your brother had similar pressure put on him by the national team after disobeying instructions and speaking out.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Two decades after Steve Jobs premiered the iPhone, a small but passionate movement — with offshoots in several countries — is rebelling against the omnipresent screen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Republicans themselves remain divided over how to proceed, with some hard-right lawmakers already rebelling against the shutdown deal.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Acting out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acting%20out. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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