make believe

1 of 3

phrase

: pretend, feign

made believe that everything was all right

make-believe

2 of 3

noun

make-be·​lieve ˈmāk-bə-ˌlēv 

variants or less commonly make-belief

ˈmāk-bə-ˌlēf 

: a pretending that what is not real is real

… a fiction writer's childish willingness to immerse himself in make-believe.

—John Updike

make-believe

3 of 3

adjective

: imaginary, pretended

Synonyms of make believe

Adjective

• imaginary
• fictional
• fictitious
• mythical
• imagined
• fantasied
• imaginal

Examples of make believe in a Sentence

Adjective

zoomed around the house in a make-believe car

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

All jobs have a performative aspect to them, but when people engage in make-believe in exchange for money, there’s often a devaluation of that work. —Erin Qualey, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026

The borders between real life and make-believe should be high, Larry concluded, because the emotions surrounding the former can easily kill the fragile art of the latter. —Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

Adjective

The rhapsodies about Willow, paired with the silence surrounding the difficult dogs, contribute to a sense of make-believe and avoidance that pervade Biden’s memoir. —Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 9 June 2026

Johansson may have been in character while wearing the shoes, but there’s nothing make-believe about their comfort. —Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1794, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1806, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for make believe

• achieve
• conceive
• deceive
• naive
• perceive
• receive
• relieve
• reprieve
• retrieve
• breve
• cleave
• cleeve

Kids Definition

make-believe

1 of 2 noun

make-be·​lieve

ˈmāk-bə-ˌlēv

: a pretending to be another person or character (as in the play of children)

make-believe

2 of 2 adjective

: imaginary

was only a make-believe lion