as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
zoomed around the house in a make-believe car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
make believe
2 of 3phrase
as in pretend
to present a false appearance of
He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school.
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in fiction
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of make-believe
Vulture Editors, Vulture, 23 July 2025
Solitary play might be a lot more fun if a make-believe teammate could provide an assist, or an invisible coach could appear and shout instructions during practice.
—Stephanie Madsen, The Conversation, 22 July 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
Adjective
The visual style is graphic and minimal — legs are sticks, bodies are basically balls — and Quack’s curmudgeonly disposition provides just the right amount of vinegar, which may be why, long after my daughter has moved out of the neighborhood of make-believe, she’s still entertained by Peep.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 23 July 2025
Solitary play might be a lot more fun if a make-believe teammate could provide an assist, or an invisible coach could appear and shout instructions during practice.
—Stephanie Madsen, The Conversation, 22 July 2025
Phrase
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
Adjective
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The real audience would hear the imaginary audience booing and jeering.—
Lauren Rothery,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Once there was an imaginary line that mustn’t be crossed.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, shorts compete in the documentary, fiction and New Jersey films categories.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
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And, for that matter, real fiction—which is where character development comes in.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Garcia-Hernandez allegedly has convictions for giving fictitious information, evading arrest, driving while intoxicated and fleeing police.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
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Supervisors Janet Nguyen and Don Wagner raised concerns at the board’s Tuesday meeting about fictitious registrations following recent news of a dog that was registered to vote in two recent state elections and a lawsuit by the federal government over noncitizen voter records.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The team performed high-resolution particle simulations using the KAIROS supercomputer at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy to verify them.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
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The photo shows a Penning trap, which is a quantum simulation and sensing experiment.—
Sunya Bhutta,
Scientific American,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Viewers will also have to use their imagination to visualize the central fictional city of Baktan Cross, which is a combination of Eureka and El Paso.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
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Oral beauty brand Moon is gearing up for the holiday season ahead with a fan-favorite fictional character.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Federal law requires toy, look-alike and imitation firearms to have an orange colored cap attached to the muzzle end of the barrel and exterior surface of the barrel, among other requirements.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Third-party imitation involves observing interactions between two individuals then faithfully copying those interactions.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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When strung together, these hand signs appear to form Long Count dates, the Maya system for reckoning absolute time since a mythic creation in 3114 BCE.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Sep. 2025
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At the time, the character was 17 and owed his bendy superpowers to eating a mythical fruit.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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If the talent agency signing comes to pass, Norwood will be one of the first AI generated actresses to get representation with a talent agency, traditionally working with real-life stars.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
27 Sep. 2025
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The film’s chilling representation of American politics may be an unintentional departure from the novel’s more whimsical energy.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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