acting up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The black flies are not the only troublesome creature acting up during the unseasonably warm weather.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

I told her the camera is going to be constantly running, so when she’s acting up — and I wanted to open the film with that — she knew that was being recorded.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2024

Second, we can chalk some of Stamos’s apparent lack of passion about acting up to the fact that music — specifically, drumming — seems to be his true love.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2023

Moody said the injury started acting up two weeks ago and he is “slowly working back into it.”

From Washington Times • Sep. 5, 2023

“If you’re not acting up in school,” says Mama, “then you’re sitting in front of that computer for hours. It’s not healthy, Amari.”

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston