Dictionary

act up en · VERB

Pronunciation

• ŭp (UK)
• /ækt ˈʌp/ (UK)
• [ækˈtɐʔp] (UK)
• ŭp (US)
• /ækt ˈʌp/ (US)
• (Australia) audio
• /ækt ˈap/ (Australia)
• [ækˈtäp] (Australia)
• [ækˈtʌp̚] (US)

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To misbehave; to cause trouble.
   • Children may act up in class in an effort to get attention.
   • My allergies act up during hay fever season.
   • My car started acting up after I drove through that huge puddle.
2. (idiomatic, intransitive) To perform the duties of an appointment senior to that actually held; to deputise for a superior.
   • Acting up is always recommended when you find yourself under a new boss.
   • A few months through my contract, my clinical supervisor said that a registrar was leaving the post early for a research job, and asked if I’d be interested in acting up on the rota. 2017, Adam Kay, This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor:

Forms

Coordinates

kick up

Relateds

throw a tantrum

Synonyms

play up · act out · carry on

Translations (26)

pl broić (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fr courir sur le haricot (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · pl rozrabiać (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fr déconner (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · es ponerse en un/ese plan (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · mi tīhoihoi (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · mi haututū (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fi kiukutella (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · pl dokazywać (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · pl psocić (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · pl łobuzować (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fr énerver (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · eo petoli (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fr faire n'importe quoi (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · es dar guerra (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fr péter les pruneaux (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · hu rosszul viselkedik (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · mi hīanga (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · es alterarse (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fi vihoitella (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · hu rendetlenkedik (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · pl dawać się we znaki (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · pl dać się we znaki (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fi oikutella (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fr enquiquiner (to misbehave, to cause trouble) · fr importuner (to misbehave, to cause trouble)