make-be·lieve
ˈmāk-bə-ˌlēv 
variants
or less commonly make-belief
: a pretending that what is not real is real
… a fiction writer's childish willingness to immerse himself in make-believe.—
John Updike
John UpdikeSynonyms of make-believe
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Adjective
Examples of make-believe in a Sentence
Adjective
zoomed around the house in a make-believe car
Recent Examples on the Web
Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Folks like make-believe scares before facing the real-life horror of grocery store prices.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
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Noun
Macmillan immersed herself in make-believe, admiring how nails could enliven a fantasy version of herself.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Folks like make-believe scares before facing the real-life horror of grocery store prices.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Yet in the past, intimate scenes in theater, film and television were rarely treated with the same mindfulness as a make-believe duel.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make-believe. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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