How to Use feign in a Sentence

feign

verb
  • I would never feign illness just to get out of a test.
  • Confronted by the cop, the man squealed and feigned panic.
    Tribune News Service, oregonlive.com, 22 June 2019
  • Next, line the eye to feign big, fluttery giraffe eyes.
    Jessica Teich, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2017
  • See if the blue death-feigning beetle will do its possum trick in your open palm.
    Steve Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 26 June 2019
  • Even hopeless teams can at least feign optimism for a few weeks.
    Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Feb. 2020
  • Contrast that with football, where players feign fouls to gain control of the ball.
    The Economist, 26 Sep. 2019
  • The hognose snake will feign death by opening its mouth, rolling over on its back, and writhing around.
    Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 11 June 2019
  • Anybody who feigns surprise at the racist rot in our midst has been wilfully blind.
    Yascha Mounk, Slate Magazine, 17 Aug. 2017
  • To do this, Bly feigned madness to gain entry as a patient.
    Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023
  • The rest of us have to feign the copper, auburn, ginger, and strawberry shades.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2023
  • The point is not to feign fearlessness but instead to use fear as a motivation.
    Ryan McGrath, Forbes, 27 June 2022
  • The powder, which is available in nine shades, subtly darkens the scalp to feign fullness.
    Ashley Weatherford, The Cut, 16 Oct. 2017
  • Texas Democrats knew what was coming—no one should feign surprise.
    Sam Russek, The New Republic, 17 May 2023
  • Auburn’s new coach feigned surprise by his team’s ability to run the football.
    Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 23 Aug. 2023
  • Players flop to draw a foul or feign innocence (or even injury) to avoid one.
    Andrew Keh, New York Times, 5 July 2018
  • And William has to feign still being a part of the throuple for political reasons.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 June 2020
  • Hillary feigns outrage over Trump’s locker room trash talk.
    Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, 26 Sep. 2018
  • But the silence over the state meant the national government could feign ignorance.
    WIRED, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Some team members jumped into the river and began waving their arms in feigned distress.
    Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, 14 June 2019
  • Mabel feigns interest in the story, inching closer to him to snipe the film drive from his pocket.
    Radhika Menon, ELLE, 15 Aug. 2023
  • The fact that Carolyn Privette feigned death is the true miracle.
    Nicholas Rondinone, courant.com, 18 Apr. 2018
  • Activists have lain on the granite to feign death and raise awareness of police brutality.
    Pamela Wood, baltimoresun.com, 27 Nov. 2020
  • The game was a farce for most of the evening: After a double in the sixth, Puig feigned napping at second base.
    Andy McCullough, latimes.com, 3 July 2018
  • The play called for T.Y. Hilton to go in motion and feign an end-around run to the offense’s left.
    Stephen Holder, Indianapolis Star, 9 Oct. 2017
  • The officials will never make a judgment call on feigning injuries.
    Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Michael, sitting in a chair, feigned that one of the computer monitors had broken.
    Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 24 Apr. 2020
  • In one playful selfie, Harbour feigned a menacing face at his wife and put his hand in her face in the shape of a claw.
    Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023
  • Pitchers go half-speed through drills and often feign throwing to the bases rather than actually throwing the ball.
    Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 3 June 2023
  • Much of that has to do with a lot of media continuing to feign objectivity.
    Michael Arceneaux, Essence.com, 12 Jan. 2018
  • Young, without hesitation, took a three-step drop and feigned a throw.
    Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, 9 Feb. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'feign.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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