play-act
Britishverb
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(intr) to pretend or make believe
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(intr) to behave in an overdramatic or affected manner
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to act in or as in (a play)
Other Word Forms
- play-acting noun
- play-actor noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Several times, the kids play-act the old cartoonish “Tom Sawyer” game—in which the rascal tricks his buddies into doing his fence-painting chore—and the reference is apt.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 17, 2018
They play-act traumatic scenarios, like getting a shot at the doctor’s office, in preparation for handling stressful situations in real life.
From The Verge • Dec. 22, 2017
I could play-act a bizarre kind of adulthood save for the moments where a smarter poster asked “What are you 14 or something?”
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2015
Murray cannot let himself become distracted if Djokovic starts to play-act, as he did in Melbourne in January.
From The Guardian • Jun. 5, 2015
You'll notice, Master Gordon, I have something of the sentiment you Low-landers make such show of, or I play-act the thing very well.
From John Splendid The Tale of a Poor Gentleman, and the Little Wars of Lorn by Munro, Neil
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
