as in to pose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
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
One of the funniest answers to this question comes from the comedian Conner O’Malley, who has built a career playacting the way consumerism warps our spirits.
—Sam Anderson, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2020
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
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
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
One of the funniest answers to this question comes from the comedian Conner O’Malley, who has built a career playacting the way consumerism warps our spirits.
—Sam Anderson, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playact
Verb
-
Looking at the drawings and the question posed, the dad felt confused.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Which again, then posed for African Americans, stressing their fiscal citizenship was key to their own Black politics during the Jim Crow era.—
Tax Notes Staff,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The bulletin issued by Ukraine's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UA) on March 18 indicates that attacks started this month, with Signal messages containing links to archived messages, masquerading as meeting reports.—
Joanne Stocker,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Good American Family stars Ellen Pompeo as Kristine Barnett and revisits allegations that Natalia, an orphan from Ukraine with a rare form of dwarfism, was actually an adult masquerading as a child.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Rick, who pretended to be a film producer to weasel his way into the home of Jim and Sritala (Lek Patravadi) and confront Jim over potentially murdering his father.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
This prompt gives you enough talking points to contribute thoughtfully without pretending to be an expert.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Bonsall, who was playing in a band at the time, had discovered there was a man who had been impersonating him as a way to victimize women.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
31 Mar. 2025
-
The company shut down in 2021, less than a week after The New York Times article outlined that Ozy’s Samir Rao, the firm’s chief operating officer, had previously impersonated a YouTube executive during a conference call with potential investors.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Several senior agency leaders, including the chief human resources officer, acting commissioner and acting general counsel, have resigned or been demoted since January.—
Benjamin Siegel,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2025
-
In 1950, Vincent R. Impellitteri, who was serving as acting mayor, won an upset independent bid after failing to win the nomination of the Manhattan Democratic machine, known as Tammany Hall.—
Maya King,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Engage Your Senses In a shared office environment, playing loud music or lighting a scented candle is frowned upon.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
-
The Rebellion Is Here Moss, who stars, executive produces and directs on the series, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the emotional impact of becoming a mother herself before playing June one last time for The Handmaid’s Tale.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Putin’s constant lies and dissembling undermined his credibility to international interlocutors, such as President Emmanuel Macron of France.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Sep. 2022
-
Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
19 July 2024
Verb
-
After feigning ignorance and then glowering at Belinda from across the resort, Greg boldly invites her to his home and to speak privately about their previous acquaintance.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
30 Mar. 2025
-
The final scene, in Episode 4, which sees the Miller family feign a day of normalcy on the occasion of Eddie’s fiftieth birthday, ends with the weeping father crumpled in his son’s bed, begging his forgiveness.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share