as in to pose
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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
Cloud is almost childlike, a boy playacting at being a warrior and not always nailing the part.
—Julie Muncy, Wired, 10 Apr. 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
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
Verb
-
Nine days after the meeting in Lisbon between Rashford representatives and Barcelona, the player was posing with an Aston Villa shirt after agreeing a six-month loan to the Premier League club.—
Pol Ballus,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
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One of my earliest memories is standing in the living room of a small house in Garden City, Michigan, mimicking Hulk Hogan’s pose down to my laughing parents.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Verb
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In the final minutes of KPop Demon Hunters, Rumi’s true nature is revealed during a live performance when imposter demons masquerading as Mira and Zoey expose her glowing demon marks to the world.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
12 July 2025
-
The endeavor ultimately showed how the group's interdependent dynamic made for constant self-incrimination and insensitivity masquerading as selflessness.—
Dennis Perkins,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
Dad is the one who's going to pretend to be a predator stalking the child and pretending to be a big, scary monster.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
22 July 2025
-
Upon spotting himself on the big screen, Cohen immediately reached over and pretended to make out with a shocked Cooper.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Scammers impersonating Social Security rank No. 2 on the list; scammers impersonating the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as Medicare, rank No. 3.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
24 July 2025
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Marshal Goodnight faces charges including impersonating a peace officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of a stun gun, possessing a baton and possessing a tear gas weapon, police said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
Rinke, the least-Trumpy candidate in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary, has been acting like a nominee-in-waiting ever since.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
23 July 2025
-
Notable Music acts: Big Boi, The Beatbox Collective, The Black Keys.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
Malakian explains the role Ozzfest played in elevating System of a Down’s profile.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
26 July 2025
-
The Royals will play a split doubleheader against the Guardians on Saturday afternoon.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 July 2025
Verb
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Building trust in companies and their leaders isn’t easy, given many decades of dissembling.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
-
You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were.—
Aryeh Neier,
The New York Review of Books,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Fake job postings are fueling this lack of trust, and companies are posting them to alleviate employee workload concerns and to feign company growth.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
-
This truth is essential—especially in a culture that punishes mothers while feigning reverence for them.—
Samantha Mann,
Time,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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