🇵🇹Portuguese Source WordCode: PT

exagerar na atuação

Pronunciation / Transliteration: e.za.ʒeˈɾaɾ na a.tu.aˈsɐ̃w

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Ham it up/ˈhæm ɪt ʌp/
verbCEFR C1 (Advanced)Top #8500 frequency
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🇵🇹 Example Sentence in Portuguese:

"O comediante gosta de exagerar na atuação durante o show."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To overact, behave theatrically, or exaggerate one's gestures and expressions for comedic effect or to attract attention.

    "The comedian always loves to ham it up when the studio audience starts laughing."
  2. 2

    To perform in an excessively melodramatic or showy manner during a presentation or social interaction.

    "He started to ham it up during the school play, drawing all the attention from the main actors."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the theatrical slang 'ham', short for 'hamateur' (a playful corruption of amateur), which historically referred to inferior actors who overacted. By the early 20th century, the phrasal verb 'ham it up' emerged in American English to describe anyone exhibiting exaggerated, theatrical, or over-the-top behavior for attention or comedic effect.

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