act out
/ˌækt ˈaʊ̯t/ verb- To perform something specific.
- To perform a scene from a play, a charade or an exercise. · Despite already being aware, he will be acting out the pretence of a surprise.
- To perform a fantasy in reality. · I've wanted to do this for so long, but I never thought I could act it out.
- To express one's feelings through disruptive actions. · I know you're angry, but you can't act out and break dishes like that.
- To express ideas or desires through actions rather than words. · When her jaw was wired shut, she had acted out what she needed.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see act, out. · She's a street performer, so she acts out on Ninth Street.
From the library
Most of the kids who act out in the first week are simply testing you.
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