act out
verb
acted out; acting out; acts out
1
a
: to represent in action
children act out what they read
b
: to translate into action
unwilling to act out their beliefs
2
: to express (something, such as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without modification to comply with social norms
: to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (such as fear or frustration)
Examples of act out in a Sentence
because his parents spent so much time with his chronically ill sister, the boy resorted to acting out in order to get attention
Recent Examples on the Web
Fame is about acting out other people’s fantasies, and the clown prince of crime’s only value to his supporters is as a symbol of their own desire to burn the world down.
—
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2024
Additionally, waking up in a location other than a bed after acting out a dream can be alarming.
—Daniel Combs, Verywell Health, 8 Aug. 2024
But a disconnect between first responder training – based on the handful of studies that validate excited delirium – and most academic medical literature can have first responders acting out of step with the medical community.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, 13 Aug. 2024
Categories include Best Comic Book Superhero, Best Anime Character and, for those who like to act out, Best Character Performance.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for act out 
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2024
Additionally, waking up in a location other than a bed after acting out a dream can be alarming.
—Daniel Combs, Verywell Health, 8 Aug. 2024
But a disconnect between first responder training – based on the handful of studies that validate excited delirium – and most academic medical literature can have first responders acting out of step with the medical community.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, 13 Aug. 2024
Categories include Best Comic Book Superhero, Best Anime Character and, for those who like to act out, Best Character Performance.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for act out
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'act out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/act%20out. Accessed 21 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
act out
transitive verb
: to express (as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without modification to comply with social norms
act out an adolescent fantasy
: to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (as fear or frustration)
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