Synonyms of make a show

make a show

phrase

as in pretend

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

• pretend
• make believe
• let on
• make out
• make a pretense
• put on an act
• put up a front
• pose
• act
• dissemble
• play
• put on
• dissimulate
• simulate
• masquerade
• affect
• assume
• conceal
• sham
• feign
• fake
• mask
• impersonate
• camouflage
• disguise
• counterfeit
• profess
• playact
• bluff
• feint

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of make a show

The two leaders have made a show of working to preserve harmony, but there were no major breakthroughs this week on issues such as trade or the safety of artificial intelligence. — Michelle L. Price, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026

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

Turned off by the meagre roles that Hollywood had for them, the friends decided to make a show for laughs, about three twentysomething actors trying to make it in Los Angeles. — Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Daemon charged his queen with making a show of strength for all the realm to see, and her response is to once again visit the High Septon and beg for an anointing. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

And despite making a show of clashing with the Pentagon over concerns about the safe deployment of its AI systems, Anthropic also let the military use its Claude AI to select targets in Iran. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026

To celebrate what makes a show like this — real collaboration, real joy, real family, falling down and getting back up. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 31 July 2026

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