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

Jon Stewart set his sights on AI on the latest episode of The Daily Show, unpacking the threats posed by the technology and Donald Trump‘s mediocre reaction.

— Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
The season finale — or possibly the series finale, since HBO hasn’t renewed the show yet — wrapped up the mystery posed by the show’s premiere of who killed Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler).

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of pose

Verb

Official outlets can quote from posts on fake accounts whose creators masquerade as ordinary members of the public, making a fringe claim seem normal.

— RENÉE DIRESTA, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
The action-drama is a road show that primarily films on location and often features rural settings, so the move to California provides new landscapes to masquerade as other locales.

— Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of masquerade

Verb

Traditional American business values like social responsibility, community involvement, and customer service — y’know, the things companies used to at least pretend to care about — have been tossed aside.

— Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Everyone pretends the films were chosen purely on merit, but the slate often reads Hollywood with a lanyard and a conscience.

— Joseph Kahn, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of pretend

Verb

Then another old friend of Mary’s, the shape-shifting warlock William (Devon Sawa), is revealed to have been impersonating a teacher.

— Mya Copeland, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Colbert gifted Kimmel his Captain America shield, did a sketch-within-an-interview with his son impersonating a Kiwi police officer, and shaved for our amusement.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of impersonate

Verb

Business travelers love this hotel for its balance of work and play, along with its central location.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Barcelona Lamine Yamal may have been light on the score sheet during the World Cup, but the teenage phenom played his role to perfection during Spain’s tournament-winning run.

— Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of playact

verb

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