Phrase guide

ham it up

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To deliberately exaggerate one's emotions or movements, or to overact or act hammily.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Topics: acting, broadcasting, entertainment, film, lifestyle, media, television, theater

Examples

  • Near-synonym: camp it up
  • You can count on him to ham it up for the camera.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ham, chew the scenery, melodramatize, overact, tear a cat, camp it up

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

exaggerate one's acting

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: overact, ham, overplay

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: act, play, roleplay, playact

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 有意誇張 /有意夸张 (yǒuyì kuāzhāng) — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Chinese Mandarin: 表演過火 /表演过火 (biǎoyǎn guòhuǒ) — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Dutch: met opzet overdrijven — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Finnish: ylinäytellä — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Finnish: liioitella — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • French: cabotiner — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • German: zu dick auftragen — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Hungarian: megjátssza magát — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Polish: odgrywać przesadnie — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Polish: odegrać przesadnie — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Portuguese: exagerar (na atuação) — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Russian: переи́грывать (pereígryvatʹ) — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Russian: переигра́ть (pereigrátʹ) — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Spanish: sobreactuar — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Spanish: dramatizar — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements
  • Swedish: spela över — performing arts: exaggerate one's emotions or movements