make-be·lieve
ˈmāk-bə-ˌlēv 
variants
or less commonly make-belief
: a pretending that what is not real is real
a fiction writer's childish willingness to immerse himself in make-believe—
John Updike
John UpdikeExamples of make-believe in a Sentence
Adjective
zoomed around the house in a make-believe car
Recent Examples on the Web
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 July 2025
Solitary play might be a lot more fun if a make-believe teammate could provide an assist, or an invisible coach could appear and shout instructions during practice.
—Stephanie Madsen, The Conversation, 22 July 2025
Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
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Noun
From the proteges of Guillermo del Toro, this stop-motion fantasy — about a little girl in 19th-century Mexico, whose make-believe stories connect to another world — is a labor of love by nature.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 July 2025
Solitary play might be a lot more fun if a make-believe teammate could provide an assist, or an invisible coach could appear and shout instructions during practice.
—Stephanie Madsen, The Conversation, 22 July 2025
Adjective
Yet in the past, intimate scenes in theater, film and television were rarely treated with the same mindfulness as a make-believe duel.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make-believe. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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