as in to pose
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Recent Examples of playact
Today, Margaret would be playacting her own massacre in active shooter drills at school.
—
Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 May 2023
Trump’s modus, as ever, was to playact; his game has always been improv.
—Joe Klein, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Trixie advises Alma to playact highness to flummox E.B.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2021
Today, this dynamic lives on in the form of Roblox strip clubs, where young people — mostly, minors — playact at adult sexuality.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2021
The world had first required her to playact as a man.
—Will Stephenson, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020
Yona has it better than the locals who have agreed to playact, and likely die, in Mui’s fake new disaster.
—Madeline Leung Coleman, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2020
In a twist, The Sims is now a way to playact not just an alternate life, but any life at all.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2020
Cloud is almost childlike, a boy playacting at being a warrior and not always nailing the part.
—Julie Muncy, Wired, 10 Apr. 2020
Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 May 2023
Trump’s modus, as ever, was to playact; his game has always been improv.
—Joe Klein, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Trixie advises Alma to playact highness to flummox E.B.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2021
Today, this dynamic lives on in the form of Roblox strip clubs, where young people — mostly, minors — playact at adult sexuality.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2021
The world had first required her to playact as a man.
—Will Stephenson, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020
Yona has it better than the locals who have agreed to playact, and likely die, in Mui’s fake new disaster.
—Madeline Leung Coleman, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2020
In a twist, The Sims is now a way to playact not just an alternate life, but any life at all.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2020
Cloud is almost childlike, a boy playacting at being a warrior and not always nailing the part.
—Julie Muncy, Wired, 10 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playact
Verb
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Trump first posed the idea of overhauling FEMA while visiting North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in January.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
2 May 2025
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John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, has pledged to make the threat posed by China a top priority and vowed to expand the agency’s focus on Beijing.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
Verb
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His approach emphasizes the importance of doing fewer things at a natural pace and shifting away from hyper-visible activity that often masquerades as productivity.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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The next generation will not inherit a society built on genuine understanding and progress, but one defined by ideological extremism masquerading as compassion.—
Kevin Waldman,
Twin Cities,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In the video, Jax Ulbrich, pretending to be Loomis, called Sanders to falsely inform him that the Saints, one of the teams discussed as a potential landing spot for Shedeur prior to the draft, were selecting him with their third-round pick.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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On Friday night, during rounds two and three of the draft, Sanders received a call from someone pretending to be New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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These fraudulent texts generally try to impersonate the toll service in each state.—
Kendrick Marshall,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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Attackers have been observed impersonating the FBI’s own Internet Crime Complaint Center in hacking scams.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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How to act during strong winds Take shelter: Immediately go inside a sturdy building during a high wind warning or severe thunderstorm warning and move to an interior room or basement.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2025
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An effective leader’s true test lies in acting on this feedback.—
Mamie Jones,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Still, Ordine thinks most wagering on the conclave is likely to happen informally among friends, similar to the squares people play for the Super Bowl.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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Photo: Michael Roberts/Maconochie Photography There’s a lot to play for, this coming Monday, in conceptualizing a look that celebrates the message.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
3 May 2025
Verb
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Some firms, however, have more adaptable structures that allow for individual initiatives and self-managing networks of autonomous teams, that are assembled and dissembled as needs are met.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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The Kill or Capture Presidency You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were.—
Aryeh Neier,
The New York Review of Books,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Jenna Bush Hager Says Daughter Mila Got 'Overwhelmed' by Secret Service Spending Time with First Lady Laura Bush Guthrie's carousel also featured a picture of the girls at the end of the party, posing on a red truck while Mila feigned a yawn.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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Putin is not feigning peace to stay on Trump’s good side merely to gobble up more Ukrainian territory.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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