act up

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verb

(intr, adverb) informal to behave in a troublesome waythe engine began to act up when we were miles from anywhere

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Words nearby act up

actuarial, actuary, actuate, actuation, actuator, act up, act upon, actus reus, act warning, acuate, Acuff

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use act up in a sentence

However, the activism of groups like ACT UP was beginning to have unforeseen effects.
Hollywood’s Evolving Heart: How Movies Grew to Love Gays|Teo Bugbee|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By the time ACT UP came around to deal with the inertia, it seemed like a raging inevitability that hit with the force of a blaze.
‘The Normal Heart’ and Hope in the Battlefield of AIDS|Michael Musto|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1988, I spent an ACT UP weekend in Washington D.C., which was an eye-opening experience for both sides.
‘The Normal Heart’ and Hope in the Battlefield of AIDS|Michael Musto|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their message was serious, their activism was witty and fast, like their direct action antecedents, ACT UP!
Tick-Tock: The Explosive Power of the Lesbian Avengers|Tim Teeman|March 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“Most of my friends from ACT UP did not want me to get involved with David,” Staley says.
New Documentary ‘How to Survive a Plague’ Details ACT UP’s Heroic Role in AIDS Battle|Stephen Farber|September 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Says she's read it was better so, and though she's afraid her old cook'll 'act up' about it she's bound to try.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
With a very few exceptions, the French women act up to this doctrine, and are as natural as any one could wish them.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
He haggled long about the price, for form's sake, to act up to his part as Nicholas Korpanoff, a plain merchant of Irkutsk.
Michael Strogoff|Jules Verne
No need to act up to your costume, nor even to talk in character.
Child Life In Town And Country|Anatole France
Once sure of that, and where women are concerned it is not easy, the next is, to act up to the decision.
The Last of the Mohicans|James Fenimore Cooper

Other Idioms and Phrases with act up

act up

Misbehave. For example, With an inexperienced rider, this horse always acts up. [c. 1900]

Malfunction, as in I'm not sure what's wrong with my car, but the transmission is acting up. In both usages up means “abnormally.”

act up

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How to use act up in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with act up