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
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Health experts say the current outbreak poses little risk to the general public.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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The combination of the AI boom and the energy crisis poses a unique challenge for governments on how to reconcile an increasingly fractured economy.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Conspiracy of data Whenever Americans are hungry for answers, platforms such as these can more easily masquerade as objective data analysis tools.—
Matthew N. Hannah,
The Conversation,
8 May 2026
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Persona 5 Royal follows a group of high school kids with special powers who masquerade as the vigilante group, the Phantom Thieves, to fight corruption in Tokyo.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Herbert's not going through the motions and pretending to be a relationship with a pop singer like some aging tight end.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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The problem is what happens when couples pretend otherwise.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Police impersonator in Harford County This incident comes nearly a week after a man was arrested in Harford County for impersonating an officer in a shopping center.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
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ShinyHunters is known for making English-language phone calls and impersonating employees to trick company employees into handing over access to their IT systems.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Verb
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In practice, though, designing a policy that acts wisely on this difference is all but impossible.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
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In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson, acting on a joint congressional resolution, signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Williamsburg would play a prominent role in the American Revolution as the seat of Virginia's government until 1780 (when the capital was changed to Richmond).—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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Parting ways with Morey was ultimately not an easy decision for the 76ers, but Philadelphia’s inability to take the next step in a constantly changing East played a significant role in the organization’s direction.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Instead, whole grains and foods are dissembled into molecules which, with the help of artificial colorings, flavorings and gluelike emulsifiers, are heated, pounded, shaped or extruded into any food a manufacturer can dream up.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
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When McKenzie asks him how much he’s contributed to the coffers of politicians, his dodging of the question is pure dissembling theater.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Here, a crown of 'New Dawn' roses adds charm to the entry while encouraging the eye to look up instead of just out—a surefire way to feign a bigger yard.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
6 May 2026
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Audrey Hudson, twenty-four, is a gifted battlefield surgeon who feigns muteness to comfort Carter Reynolds, a combat soldier deafened by an explosion.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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