act one's age

verb

To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.

“Act your age and stop fiddling with that pen – you’re showing us up.”

Similar
behave one's age
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Meanings

verbact one's age (third-person singular simple present acts one's age, present participle acting one's age, simple past and past participle acted one's age)

present singular third person acts one's age · participle present acting one's age · participle past acted one's age · past acted one's age

  1. idiomaticTo behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.

    Synonyms: behave one's age

  2. imperativeTo behave in a mature manner; to avoid being childish.

    Act your age and stop fiddling with that pen – you’re showing us up.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.

Similar
behave one's age
Also see
act one's age, not one's shoe size

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 别没大没小的, 不要孩子气
  • 别没大没小的to be mature and not childish
  • 不要孩子气to be mature and not childish
Finnish käyttäytyä (kunnolla)
  • käyttäytyä (kunnolla)to be mature and not childish
German sich seinem Alter entsprechend benehmen
  • sich seinem Alter entsprechend benehmento be mature and not childish
Latvian uzvesties atbilstoši savam vecumam
  • uzvesties atbilstoši savam vecumamto be mature and not childish
Portuguese comporte-se
  • comporte-seto be mature and not childish
Russian вести́ себя́ соотве́тственно своему́ во́зрасту
  • вести́ себя́ соотве́тственно своему́ во́зрасту (vestí sebjá sootvétstvenno svojemú vózrastu)to be mature and not childish
Spanish comportarse
  • comportarseto be mature and not childish
Thai ทำตัวให้เป็นผู้ใหญ่
  • ทำตัวให้เป็นผู้ใหญ่to be mature and not childish
Cite this entry
APA

act one's age. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/act%20one's%20age

MLA

“act one's age.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/act%20one's%20age. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “act one's age,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/act%20one's%20age.

Source: act one's age on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.