ham it up

idiom

informal
: to act or behave in an exaggerated or playful way
She likes to ham it up for the camera.

Examples of ham it up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
But Joel and Ethan invest in other characters’ stories more — specifically, Josh Brolin’s conflicted fixer and Alden Ehrenreich’s anxious young actor — leaving Clooney to ham it up pleasantly as a forgettable dolt. 14. Will Leitch, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024 Coppola, a past master at directing actors, allows his performers – who include Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, and Nathalie Emmanuel – to shamelessly ham it up. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2024 Zehetner and Van Holt’s teaming is defeated by poor writing, while those playing villainous roles are given way too much leeway to ham it up. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 1 July 2024 Like many of the other performances on this list, when the legend is better than the truth, ham it up. Tim Moffatt, EW.com, 20 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for ham it up 

Dictionary Entries Near ham it up

Cite this Entry

“Ham it up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ham%20it%20up. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!