playact

verb play·act \ ˈplā-ˌakt \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of playact

playacted; playacting; playacts

transitive verb

: act out 1a

intransitive verb

1 a : to take part in theatrical performances especially as a professional

b : to make believe

2 : to engage in theatrical or insincere behavior

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playacting

play \ˈplā-ˌak-tiŋ\ noun

Recent Examples of playact from the Web

After the superstar forward came under fire for his elaborate diving, faking and playacting during Brazil’s round of 16 victory over Mexico, Brazilians have closed ranks around one of their most cherished sons.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Brazil is desperately trying to coddle Neymar, whose talent outweighs dramatic antics," 5 July 2018
If the devil’s advocate playacts disagreement with you for the sake of strengthening your argument, the concern troll is his mirror image, a person who pretends to agree with you in order to undermine you.

— nitsuh abebe, New York Times, "Why Have We Soured on the ‘Devil’s Advocate’?," 3 Apr. 2018
In 2017, Trump’s previous pro-wrestling playacting dovetails neatly, and in gif form, with an attack on the Fourth Estate.

— adrienne lafrance, The Atlantic, "Conspiracy Theories Are for Underdogs," 22 Oct. 2017
In one of the most poignant scenes in the documentary, Brown and Houston are seen playacting scenes from What's Love Got to Do With It in their hotel room.

— cady lang, Time, "4 Things We Learned From the New Documentary About Whitney Houston," 18 Aug. 2017
Gianforte, a true coward, didn’t admit any wrongdoing until his victory speech, at which point the risks of playacting decency pertained to his criminal case—

— brian beutler, New Republic, "The Republicans Broke American Politics, and Media Elites Are Blind to It," 26 May 2017
Their childhood games were built around insurgency scenarios, playacting that served as rehearsal for the role that Mr. Hart would play years later in Pakistan.

— greg miller, Washington Post, "Howard Hart, legendary figure in CIA clandestine service, dies at 76," 18 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'playact.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.