Thesaurus results for PLAYACT

playact

verb

Definition of playact

as in to pose

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 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 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

For their part, Chinese leaders have also sounded the alarm about AI, warning of the risks posed by foreign entities with advanced capabilities.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
Quan posed for some fan pictures, then headed to the lemonade stand.

— Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of pose

Verb

The closer the test gets to the actual work, the less room there is for a polished story to masquerade as evidence.

— Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
The most powerful of the three attack variants causes the infected Windows machine to masquerade as an iPhone.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of masquerade

Verb

The surviving witness fell to the floor, pretending to be dead, and called 911 once Lee left the store.

— CBS News, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Members of these networks share detailed guides on how to identify vulnerable girls online and groom them by pretending to have a romantic interest or be a supportive friend.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of pretend

Verb

In one scene, Simpson put on a prosthetic nose and a face of white makeup to impersonate an elderly, white man eager to call the numbers at a bingo game.

— Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Those reports can help Amazon identify developing scam campaigns and bad actors impersonating the company.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of impersonate

Verb

Looks like the method acting (stopping his heart medication in order to play a dying man) paid off.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
The Louisiana state court sought to enjoin the SEC from acting against LSU for rostering the players, but even then LSU chose not to roster the players — at least not yet.

— Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of act

Verb

Her Eras show doc lost its awards last weekend, and the Chiefs play the Broncos tonight, but that didn’t stop people from speculating.

— Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
The only—passing—exception is the man who plays Calamawy’s young colleague at one point; and his lines seem to be dubbed with the help of AI.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of play

Verb

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
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

Definition of dissemble

Verb

Linney’s Guardian tries to draw out some resentment from her new candidate, but John expresses (or feigns) sympathy for Hal, who was betrayed by his father figure Sinestro, an experience John likens to his own complicated upbringing.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
The other, an 18-year-old man, allegedly feigned a role as the first man’s financial adviser.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of feign

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“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of playact

verb

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