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
In November of last year, the car started acting up — the transmission seemed to have failed after just a few months of ownership.
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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
But his elbow acted up in a live bullpen session before the American League Division Series, forcing the Orioles to put him on the shelf and keep him off their playoff roster.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2024
Eury Perez, the Marlins’ 20-year-old phenom, underwent Tommy John surgery himself on Monday after his elbow began acting up midway through spring training.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for act up 
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
But his elbow acted up in a live bullpen session before the American League Division Series, forcing the Orioles to put him on the shelf and keep him off their playoff roster.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2024
Eury Perez, the Marlins’ 20-year-old phenom, underwent Tommy John surgery himself on Monday after his elbow began acting up midway through spring training.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for act up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for act up
Verb
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The Selzer poll has been viewed as evidence that pollsters calling the race a dead heat have been acting out of a desire to seek safety in numbers following the shock 2016 election result that failed to spot latent support for Trump.Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
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The trial ended with two deadlocked juries, unable to agree on whether the brothers were guilty of murder or acted out of fear.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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And past paintings, too, could be recycled, cut up and then reenlisted for new images.Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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Each morning at 3 AM Lopez is at the Fulton Fish Market and all his orders are at the restaurant kitchen by 7 AM to be weighed and cut up, scaled and filleted.John Mariani, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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That is good news for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), which puts on a spectacular show every fall to show off unique builds and trimmings that range from mild to wild.Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024
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This year, local restaurants are showing off their best versions of the recipe.Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 5 Nov. 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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Suzie is livid that Sunny kept the bird, disobeying Suzie’s orders.Chris Klimek, Vulture, 31 July 2024
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Clips recorded before and after the hearing were aired anyway by various news outlets, disobeying the court's directives, and Gull has denied each media request to record hearings and the trial ever since.Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
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His wartime London contains worlds within worlds, many of them unexpected, as Rita and George in their ways exemplify the old British mantra of keeping calm and carrying on, even when doing so seems impossible.Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
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But whatever the result, expect the indie film industry to carry on.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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But her son didn’t rebel during a game the rest of that season.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2024
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Milioti arrived as Nanette Cole, a new hire to the company whose clone rallies the others to rebel against their jailer.Nick Romano, EW.com, 14 Oct. 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 Nov. 2024.
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