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
-
Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One of Dubin’s most striking insights is that blind spots often masquerade as strengths.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Mathematicians have unraveled a key conjecture about knot theory Scanning the crowd at a fancy soiree may reveal a wide array of neckties, each fastened with a highly complex mathematical object masquerading as fashion.—
Max Springer,
Scientific American,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The challenge is to stop pretending the current tools give full control and start demanding real visibility.—
Jagadeesh Kunda,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Kelley susses out that Göring is pretending not to understand or speak English, and for a couple of scenes that gives the shrink a leg up.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The bots would impersonate beneficiaries, using dates of birth and other information that can be found on the internet, to try to change the beneficiaries’ bank-routing information and steal their benefits.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
-
So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Prioritize safety, stay informed, and act responsibly to protect lives and property.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The Madison stars Michelle Pfeiffer, who previously acted alongside Russell in 1988's Tequila Sunrise.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Still, that isn’t a factor when considering how hard and inspired the Broncos played in front of a ninth straight sellout crowd at Albertsons Stadium.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Though his interests were that of a pretty typical child — computing and gaming, playing the saxophone, enjoying soccer and time with his pets — he was also known for his acts of kindness and generosity.—
Lauren Costantino
September 6,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 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
-
McLeod’s video shows her teaching Ella how to feign death during a potential shooting by remaining motionless, often in an awkward pose, and holding her breath.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
-
That lack of confidence is charming and funny; when the experts on With Love, Meghan mess up, their humility feels feigned and unnatural, but Martin’s embarrassment only motivates everyone to help him out.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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