playact

verb

Definition of playactnext
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
  1. pose
  2. masquerade
  3. pretend
  4. impersonate
  5. act
  6. play
  7. dissemble
  8. feign
Verb
  • On paper, that strategy could pose major consequences for China.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • McCarthy posed for a photo in front of a poster featuring Lipman’s name in large print.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 2 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 two are only able to unlock a new understanding of each other by pretending to be strangers meeting for the first time.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • One, a 35-year-old man, pretended to be a San Francisco 49ers player or a wealthy real estate investor, the Department of Justice said.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of pretend
Verb
  • The Yuba County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday detained and arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly impersonating a peace officer on the Yuba College campus in Marysville.
    — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • When his detective twin brother, James, disappears, Ludwig impersonates him to help his sister-in-law, Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), solve the mystery.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of impersonate
Verb
  • Here the landscape was almost entirely about ice and rock, with the glacier acting as sculptor.
    — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Today, the colors lean cooler and act more as accents than the stars of the show.
    — Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of act
Verb
  • Investments in big-name stars did not pan out, including a seven-year, $245 million deal for Anthony Rendon that had to be restructured and will end after this season, with Rendon playing just 257 games for the franchise and none since 2024.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Rumors have circulated that Stan may be playing Harvey Dent, the district attorney who eventually becomes the villainous Two-Face and was previously portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, Tommy Lee Jones, and Billy Dee Williams.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 2 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

Browse Nearby Words

play
playact
playacted
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Cite this Entry

“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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