Act something out—give expression to thoughts, unconscious fears, etc. in one’s actions and behavior.
- Children often act out their troubled feelings in their games.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the intransitive phrasal verb act out—behave anti-socially or misbehave.
- The child with a learning problem may act out to divert attention from, for example, his inability to read.
Outact someone—surpass another person in acting or performing.
- The man can outact just about anybody out there. His prime example is his portrayal of Rollins in Devil in a Blue Dress.