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
Travelers who act out drunk in public risk a fine up to €4,000 (around $4,300.64), the U.K. website states.
—
Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
The show opens with the filming of a Continental movie, with Paul Dano acting out a deadly fight scene while director Peter Berg looks on.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
The skits are loose and funny and acted out entirely by college students.
—Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2025
Zimmerman had argued that while the defendant in his case, William Gregory — charged with drug possession, criminal trespass and shoplifting— had clearly acted out of self-interest and that the vaccine was for the societal good and indicative of Gregory’s rehabilitation.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
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Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
The show opens with the filming of a Continental movie, with Paul Dano acting out a deadly fight scene while director Peter Berg looks on.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
The skits are loose and funny and acted out entirely by college students.
—Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2025
Zimmerman had argued that while the defendant in his case, William Gregory — charged with drug possession, criminal trespass and shoplifting— had clearly acted out of self-interest and that the vaccine was for the societal good and indicative of Gregory’s rehabilitation.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for act out
Cite this Entry
“Act out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/act%20out. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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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