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
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
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
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
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
-
Flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The Netflix series is based on the Danish format Det Sidste Ord (The Last Word), which offers final interviews where major cultural icons, whether from the world of the arts, sports, politics or elsewhere, can look back on their lives with only someone posing questions in front of them.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Your readers deserve better than inflammatory rhetoric that obscures real human suffering masquerading as journalism.—
Letters to the Editor,
Oc Register,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Following the charges, the Barnetts shared their side of the story: The couple alleged that Natalia was an adult masquerading as a child.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Inspire pretend play with the popular Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Counter or give them a chance to be creative with the Yrinfay DIY Unicorn Shrinking Plastic Art Kit.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
7 Oct. 2025
-
According to the outlet and several videos circulating on social media, Mojito tricked pedestrians by pretending to inject them with a syringe in a series of viral videos.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As in Milwaukee, the callers will impersonate a sheriff deputy and indicate a legal matter needs to be resolved through payment.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
They’re set to expire in December, and while Congress could act to extend them, a prolonged government shutdown threatens to delay or derail that effort, leaving millions of Americans at risk of losing coverage.—
Beth Warren,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The unions have asked the court to declare that both OMB and OPM have exceeded their statutory authority and acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner, and to invalidate any actions that may come from the memos and guidance issued.—
Franco Ordoñez,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In the Carmel area, the trail passes a cool play space and Midtown Plaza, where the family can play a little ping-pong or corn hole, grab a bite to eat, or just relax on the bench swings.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The Stars played their first eight seasons in Reunion Arena, located in downtown Dallas.—
Rob Rossi,
New York Times,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Among the interested parties were shipbreakers planning to dissemble the vessel for scrap metal, according to Saw.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Authorities were forced to dissemble the back deck in order to rescue some of the pups that were beneath, according to the Strong Island Animal Rescue League, who assisted with the efforts.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Too much traffic, too much vertigo, too many incomplete explanations because everyone was trying to feign a composure that no one, not even the most distantly related, could maintain.—
Mariana Enriquez
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
This week on Raw, Lynch and Rollins feigned those communication issues to allow Lynch to execute a cheap attack on Lee.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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