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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Service animals, emotional support animals, acting up.
—
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2024
But in 1954, Brando was at the height of his talents, bringing American acting up to and past to the British standard for the first time, with a realism achieved through that delicate balancing of gender qualities that pretty much no one before or after mastered in the same way.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 23 July 2024
Babies remain the last vestige of scoundrels in sequel terms, so naturally the movie introduces a son to Gru (voiced as usual by Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) who, semi-amusingly, can’t stand his dad, screaming or acting up in some other way every time Gru picks him up.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 2 July 2024
Nobody's that good an actor to keep this act up for 50 years.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for act up 
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2024
But in 1954, Brando was at the height of his talents, bringing American acting up to and past to the British standard for the first time, with a realism achieved through that delicate balancing of gender qualities that pretty much no one before or after mastered in the same way.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 23 July 2024
Babies remain the last vestige of scoundrels in sequel terms, so naturally the movie introduces a son to Gru (voiced as usual by Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) who, semi-amusingly, can’t stand his dad, screaming or acting up in some other way every time Gru picks him up.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 2 July 2024
Nobody's that good an actor to keep this act up for 50 years.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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Friends Dog Grooming Car Toy Now for just $7, builders can act out a dog grooming scene with this Lego Friends kit.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
People.com,
18 Jan. 2025
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Children who are anxious may act out, have temper tantrums, or change their sleeping patterns, appetites, behavior, or moods, says Dr. Kumar.—
Tamekia Reece,
Parents,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Egg cartons can be cut up, painted, decorated, and glued to be turned into animals, flowers, containers, and whatever else children can dream up.—
Rabekah Henderson,
Southern Living,
19 Jan. 2025
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Any footage cut up and put on YouTube or social networks like X, Bluesky and TikTok will get copyright-striked and taken down in short order, whether it is posted by a player who wants to reach their own fans or a fan just having some fun as part of the online tennis community.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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As the crowd clapped and music blared, Sabalenka overcame her embarrassment and showed off her dance moves before attempting to take a picture with her Polaroid camera, only to realise the film had run out.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN,
12 Jan. 2025
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At camp, mom Paola showed off her ring with likenesses of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift on it.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Among racing’s many problems is that there are no dedicated air shipping companies that make moving horses around the country easy.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Dec. 2024
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Video went viral just days before the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Dujardin was seen repeatedly whipping a horse around its legs.—
Scott Thompson,
Fox News,
5 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Philippine police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security staff for allegedly assaulting authorities and disobeying orders in an altercation in Congress over the brief detention of her chief of staff, who was accused of hampering the congressional inquiry.—
Jim Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Dec. 2024
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Also not computing: Where the hell does Ben get off disobeying Chief Altman’s orders?—
Laura Bradley,
Vulture,
21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Based on that data training, modern-era AI does a relatively remarkable job of mimicking how humans interact and can carry on conversations.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement Basketball and being a Bulldog are in the blood for Lewis, whose mom Melissa played at Buena and now works in the College and Career Center at her alma mater, getting to watch her daughter carry on the program’s winning tradition.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Mark quickly rebels against the strange new order and manages to distract his new coworkers long enough to escape to Milchick’s office and contact the mysterious board, begging to see his old friends again.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
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Some part of her rebelled against its irrelevance to her own life.—
Sheila Heti,
The New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2025
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 27 Jan. 2025.
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