act out
verb
acted out;
acting out;
acts out
Definition of act out
1a
: 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)
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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
Hester, 42, called police to say the unidentified patient, who lived at the Attain Incorporated group home because of a diminished mental capacity, had injured herself while acting out, according to an arrest affidavit. — Doha Madani, NBC News, "Shocking video shows alleged attack on mentally disabled woman by group home staff," 27 Aug. 2019 The problem is there’s not enough headlining acts out there. — Washington Post, "50 years after Woodstock, can festivals match its magic?," 16 Aug. 2019 Amusement percolates as Bernadette dissembles, expresses scorn for others and otherwise acts out in her specific upper-class environment. — Todd Mccarthy, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Where'd You Go, Bernadette': Film Review," 15 Aug. 2019 These orders are for people acting out while in a crisis. — Catherine Rentz, baltimoresun.com, "What is a ‘red flag’ law and how has it worked in Maryland and elsewhere?," 7 Aug. 2019 Another moves around in his sleep, acting out his dreams — and terrifying his partner in the process. — Mary Beth Griggs, The Verge, "The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep," 23 July 2019 As if worried that none of this provided enough visual pizzazz to be an actual RNC campaign ad, protesters acting out the Squad mindset at an ICE building in Aurora, Colo., took down a U.S. flag and replaced it with a Mexican one. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "Dems in Disarray," 16 July 2019 Most players do so without acting out violently as a result. — Cindy Krischer Goodman, sun-sentinel.com, "Gamers and mass shooters: Do video games really make a person more aggressive?," 9 Aug. 2019 Their increased sense of fitting in also led to fewer absences from school and fewer instances of acting out. — Belinda Luscombe, Time, "These Academics Spent $1.35 To Make Middle School Less Awful. Here's How.," 30 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'act out.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for act out
act out
transitive verb
\ (ˈ)akt-ˈau̇t
\
\
Medical Definition of act out
: 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)