act 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.

“That’s not the idea. The idea is to have them clean their act up so that they do better and the stock goes up and their dividends go up,” Ryan said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2024

In her four-star review Midgley suggested the show occasionally "feels scripted", noting the Furys know that "the cameras are on them and perhaps act up for them".

From BBC • Aug. 18, 2023

When I was dating the woman who became my wife, her 13-year-old would act up.

From Washington Post • Apr. 4, 2023

Lopez says she hopes to keep playing for many years, even if her knee is starting to act up a bit.

From Reuters • Aug. 5, 2022

The reason I know this is because Mr. Piper likes to write names on the board when kids act up, which is totally juvenile, but sometimes teachers treat us like we’re seven years old.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly