role-play

verb

Definition of role-playnext
as in to enact

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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 role-play KPop Demon Hunters role-play items from Hasbro include such NERF items as Rumi’s Four Tiger Sword, Mira’s Curved Moon Sword and Zoey’s Spirit Blades, as well as HUNTR/X and Saja Boys Electronic Light Sticks. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Throw in high steal rates the past two seasons in a solid conference, solid defensive work overall, plus-rebounding for his position and his ability to get free points in transition, and the outlines of a role-playing wing are there. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 20 June 2026 On the gacha role-playing game NTE, the bright colors had a vibrancy that won me over a bit more, even if Crimson Desert didn’t look that realistic. — John Brandon, Wired News, 19 June 2026 But some users find clever ways to sidestep those controls, by disguising sensitive requests as role-playing games, poems or pictures, with many swapping tips and ideas online. — Kevin Schaul, Washington Post, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for role-play
Recent Examples of Synonyms for role-play
  1. enact
  2. act out
  3. pantomime
  4. dramatize
  5. playact
  6. depict
  7. represent
  8. take on
Verb
  • The legislation enacts new work requirements and greater vetting for Medicaid, the low-income program that thousands of Alaskans depend on for healthcare.
    — Matthew Choi The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • But Marxists who dreamed of a workers’ republic could not compete with the reformers in Congress who enacted such measures as a progressive income tax, antitrust legislation, and a ban on child labor.
    — Michael Kazin, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of enact
Verb
  • Dressed as Holmes and seated in a set version of the prison visitation room, Seyfried acts out lines from a script based on Fielder’s recollection of the conversation.
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In a heart-to-heart, Johnny tells Gabe that his reaction to his own parents’ divorce was also to act out.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of act out
Verb
  • The 1988 Cy Young award winner deftly explained what made Ohtani’s new curve so unhittable, even going as far as pantomiming the throwing motion and grip to more effectively illustrate his point.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Before a Lakers win in Denver this season, James found one of his friends, Nuggets assistant Jared Dudley, and pantomimed a crank with one hand while raising his middle finger of the other.
    — Dan Woike, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Definition of pantomime
Verb
  • When the third act slows down to dramatize the hours of Altman’s ouster from OpenAI, Guadagnino has almost no way of generating the sort of ice-blooded intrigue that runs in Fincher’s veins.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The case has been examined in numerous documentaries and TV specials over the decades, but Netflix’s forthcoming project will dramatize the Ramsey family and the investigation surrounding JonBenét’s death.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of dramatize
Verb
  • 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
Definition of playact
Verb
  • Specifically, the king created a watercolor depicting Birkhall, the British royal family’s private country residence in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the Balmoral estate, which was reproduced on some of the pieces in the capsule collection.
    — Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Much of the film contrasts light and dark, yet the scene depicting Robert Ford’s murder takes place in a bar housed in a tent, surrounded by snow, its interior swathed in flat, even light.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of depict
Verb
  • This represents just under a third of overall staff numbers, which now stands at 24 across offices in Brighton and Glasgow, according to Ricochet’s website.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Organizers expect more than 5,000 content players from Asia and further afield, representing 60 countries and regions.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of represent
Verb
  • The flow of money from Qatar into Gaza has taken on new significance since October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists stormed southern Israel, murdered some 1,200 people, and took 251 more hostage.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Japanese denim makers curate for customers eager to stand out from the crowd, and that has taken on a whole new meaning in the era of monotonous algorithmic recommendations and AI slop.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of take on

Browse Nearby Words

role models
role-play
role-played
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Cite this Entry

“Role-play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/role-play. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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