act up — to behave badly or mischievously
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to behave badly or mischievously
Pronunciation (IPA): /ækt ʌp/
Example Sentences
- My smartphone started acting up right before my important presentation - talk about bad timing!
- The students tend to act up when there's a substitute teacher.
- My old washing machine acts up every time I try to wash my lucky socks.
act up
VERB[/ækt ʌp/]
to behave badly or mischievously
The old printer started to act up right before the deadline.
When kids act up, they back up and pack up!
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The phrase 'act up' combines 'act' from Latin 'actus' (action, deed) with the adverb 'up', which intensifies or modifies the verb's meaning. The compound expression emerged in early 20th century American colloquial speech to denote behaving unusually or misbehaving, literally suggesting action directed upward or intensified action.
Breakdown
act (from Latin actus, meaning action or deed) + up (adverbial particle indicating intensity or upward direction, here used to modify or intensify the action, implying heightened or abnormal behavior).
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My smartphone started acting up right before my important presentation - talk about bad timing!”
“The students tend to act up when there's a substitute teacher.”
“My old washing machine acts up every time I try to wash my lucky socks.”
“Her injured shoulder has been acting up in this cold weather.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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