as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
zoomed around the house in a make-believe car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
make believe
2 of 3phrase
as in pretend
to present a false appearance of
He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school.
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in fiction
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of make-believe
Jessica George, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2025
The weeklong childhood stays with my uncle in Brooklyn got multiplied by a few more weeks when telling people about my make-believe dual-city upbringing.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 June 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
Adjective
Millennials may remember Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen’s colorful Magic School Bus books, which offered children make-believe field trips to hard-to-reach places: the Milky Way Galaxy, the bottom of Earth’s oceans, and the organs of the human body, just to name a few.
—Jessica George, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2025
The weeklong childhood stays with my uncle in Brooklyn got multiplied by a few more weeks when telling people about my make-believe dual-city upbringing.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
Phrase
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
Adjective
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Is all this merely a sci-fi imaginary consideration?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
-
Any other Countdown viewers dig their fingernails into an imaginary steering wheel when this second SUV followed his buddy into this left turn with zero regard for the oncoming white sedan?!—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
18 July 2025
Noun
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That is why this fiction is not built on facts, but rather on traversing the labyrinths of memory.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
15 July 2025
-
Girl, 1983 is still more deft in its experiments, subverting conventional ideas about fiction’s use of the truth.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
An adoption of a fictitious docudrama style, where scenarios are created for the show’s cast, brought in more subpar episodes which many feel didn’t help the cause.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
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Unsurprisingly, then, scammers are also keen to exploit this by way of fictitious job opportunities through unofficial channels, websites, emails, and text messages.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
Noun
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This preliminary curve was then combined with data derived from fossils of organisms living in a warm or cool environments, simulations of orbital parameters and paleogeographic models, visualizing the distribution of land and sea during different geological periods.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
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So many simulations — and math! — have the Tigers at 92.9 wins (from 94.4 wins last week), though BP has the Twins gaining … a game … the rest of the way.—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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The story centers around a die-hard musical theater fan who plays his favorite (fictional) 1920s musical on his record player, bringing the show to life within his apartment.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
14 July 2025
-
The employees of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co.'s Scranton, Pennsylvania, office were filmed for nine seasons by a fictional documentary crew, a plot point that became extremely important in the series' final season.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
Noun
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But this study shows chimpanzees might also be into social imitation for the sake of it.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
19 July 2025
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Deirdre O'Connell gets a supporting actress mention for doing a broad imitation of Nancy Marchand’s performance as Tony's nightmare mother on The Sopranos.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Its mythical story left an indelible mark on my mind.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Opened in 2020, the museum features interactive exhibits dedicated to the mythical sea creature.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
13 July 2025
Noun
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The investigative methods and technical capabilities described are accurate representations.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
Legal complications now surround the production, with a substantial defamation claim challenging the show’s factual representations.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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