Synonyms of made a show

made a show

phrase

past tense of make a show

as in pretended

to take on a false or deceptive appearance

She made a show of addressing the whole audience, rather than a few like-minded folk.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pretended
• made believe
• made a pretense
• let on
• made out
• put on an act
• put up a front
• posed
• dissembled
• acted
• dissimulated
• put on
• played
• simulated
• affected
• masqueraded
• playacted
• feigned
• assumed
• concealed
• professed
• disguised
• impersonated
• camouflaged
• faked
• masked
• counterfeited
• shammed
• feinted
• bluffed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of made a show

In the summer of 2025, immigration agents, dressed in tactical gear and riding on horses and in armored vehicles, made a show of force through MacArthur Park trying to strike fear into the immigrant community. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Auction sales topped $100 million last year, records have tumbled, and Christie’s and Sotheby’s have both made a show of the category in London this summer. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Still, the outcry—and the lack of outspoken public support even from those federations and allies that Infantino has made a show of propping up—had unusual force and breadth. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026

Hegseth even made a show of taking Kid Rock on an Apache flight afterward. — Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026