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
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 2019 Today Apple may have acted out of consistency with its privacy principles, to the benefit of some consumers. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "With an antitrust case looming, Apple’s new login tool is tempting fate," 5 June 2019 After Jack counter-sued Colorado officials for still acting out of an anti-religious bias, the state agreed to dismiss its case against Jack. — James Gottry, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: A third Jack Phillips lawsuit demonstrates that persistence can be virtue or vice," 23 July 2019 Among other things, the suit argues the university had failed to warn male students about the dangers of hazing and failed to fix the bad behaviors of fraternities while disciplining sororities who acted out of line. — Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, "New lawsuit could hold universities responsible for fraternity hazing deaths," 21 July 2019 Cardagena said his friend turned down the marijuana Monday around 6 a.m. and started acting out of character. — Mckenna Oxenden, baltimoresun.com, "'I don’t understand what made him snap’: Victim, suspect identified in Baltimore methadone clinic shooting," 17 July 2019 The mayor may have been acting out of an abundance of caution. — Jessica Boehm, azcentral, "A beat cop, a fateful shooting and the moments that shaped Phoenix's history," 17 July 2019 And the claims against him were brought by SEALs who resented his leadership and were acting out of a vendetta against him. — David French, National Review, "Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s Acquittal Reminds Us to Never Rush to Judgment," 3 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)
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