1
as in to act out
to behave badly
the two-year-old was acting up in church so much that her dad had to take her outside
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2
as in to cut up
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
you should have seen the boys acting up when they put on their aprons
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of act up
Nobody's that good an actor to keep this act up for 50 years.
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Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
The parents of children who act up in the Jersey Shore town of Margate City will be fined this summer for their badly behaved kids.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 June 2024
In November of last year, the car started acting up — the transmission seemed to have failed after just a few months of ownership.
—Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 11 June 2024
But after two years, Cunningham cut off any contact, saying AJ acted up after being with her.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for act up 
Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
The parents of children who act up in the Jersey Shore town of Margate City will be fined this summer for their badly behaved kids.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 June 2024
In November of last year, the car started acting up — the transmission seemed to have failed after just a few months of ownership.
—Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 11 June 2024
But after two years, Cunningham cut off any contact, saying AJ acted up after being with her.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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Denzel is finally able to act out his one-time fantasy of portraying Jean-Jacques Dessalines in a movie about the Haitian revolution.Armond White, National Review, 6 Dec. 2024
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During the Renaissance, people in Italy would act out live nativity scenes to help tell the Christmas story.Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
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President-elect Trump's vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants could eliminate workers from U.S. industries already projected to face shortages and cut up to 6.8% of the national gross domestic profit.April Rubin, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024
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Advertisement His star turn started in the first quarter, as Lemon caught a kickoff at the goal line, cut up field and blew the game open.Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
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One of them might have been a triangular crop top showing off my midriff and some hot pants.Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 13 Dec. 2024
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Julier describes these affairs as painstaking productions that also functioned to show off a person’s class status.Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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After five teenage boys are shown horsing around on a Malibu beach for a few seconds, the shot dissolves into Liam’s perfect coif, his unbuttoned shirt, his disarming smile.Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
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The Game of Thrones alum, 28, was seen horsing around with the British aristocrat at a polo match at his family's estate in West Sussex, England on Saturday, June 29.Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 3 July 2024
Verb
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The police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security detail, accusing them of disobeying orders and hindering a congressional inquiry involving her chief of staff.Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
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In 2017, Trump pardoned former Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was charged with criminal contempt of court for disobeying a federal judge's order to stop racially profiling in detaining individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
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For now, the top leader appears determined to carry on his crusade against corruption and disloyalty.Nectar Gan, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
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Are there contemporary artists that really inspire you and have carried on folk?Steve Baltin, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Elphaba and Glinda, who spent the first act and film becoming friends against all odds, go their separate ways as Elphaba chooses to rebel against the Wizard and Glinda stays behind.Nicole Fell, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024
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According to Guerrero's biography, Miller, a contrarian by nature, began rebelling early against the liberal bent of his family, hometown and high school.Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near act up
Cite this Entry
“Act up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/act%20up. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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