ham it up

Verb

Meaning

exaggerate one's acting

Source: WordNet

Synonyms

ham overact overplay play act dramatize perform represent camp maximize portray enact exaggerate caricature burlesque
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Antonyms

miss direct reduce actual destroy decrease
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Hypernyms

play act roleplay playact

Examples

I have the insecurities of any actress, I suppose of any woman. Even the most beautiful ones feel unhappy. Look at Bardot: she was suicidal. But I like to play with the camera. I like to ham it up. Chloë Sevigny

Gamel doesn’t emote or ham it up; there is a pleading in her voice, the need to be heard, to be believed, that makes her so moving. Source: Internet

Yet they manage to connect, to convey the meaning of their words, and to ham it up (especially McNeill, who emotes like the best of soap opera queens) without losing the pathos of their characters. Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms

ham haven ham hock ham hocks ham planet ham radio ham salad