act out

verb

acted out; acting out; acts out

transitive verb

1

a

: 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

intransitive verb

: 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)

Synonyms of act out

• misconduct
• disobey
• carry on
• run riot
• act up
• rebel
• raise Cain

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

The diagnosis came after the actor learned that his own behavior of acting out dreams could be an early Parkinson's symptom. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Likewise, Duong used her cameras to create a safe space for her family to act out past memories to, at long last, talk about what each means to one another, good and bad. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026

Some of the stories are just spoken matter-of-factly, while others are acted out with Jaku doing all the voices. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

Jo, raised by her grandmother, is hyperactive, wild, free-spirited, and a talented artist but often acts out in school. — Parents, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for act out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

act out

verb

1

: to represent in action

children act out what they read

2

: to behave badly especially as a way of letting out painful emotions

Medical Definition

act out

transitive verb

(ˈ)akt-ˈau̇t 

: to express (as an impulse or a fantasy) directly in overt behavior without modification to comply with social norms

act out an adolescent fantasy

intransitive verb

: to behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions (as fear or frustration)