feign
to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of: to feign sickness.
to invent fictitiously or deceptively, as a story or an excuse.
to imitate deceptively: to feign another's voice.
to make believe; pretend: She's only feigning, she isn't really ill.
Origin of feign
1synonym study For feign
Other words from feign
- feign·er, noun
Words that may be confused with feign
Words Nearby feign
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use feign in a sentence
The tales of my regifting are so legendary that it’s become a tradition for my children, now in their 20s, to feign outrage as they recall how old they were when they discovered my holiday ruse.
How to beat inflation and empty shelves this holiday shopping season | Michelle Singletary | November 19, 2021 | Washington PostA centrist stance I'll feign, The conclusion is foregone I'll go and side with Mitch McConnell And I'll con the folks in Maine.
Style Invitational Week 1463: Fork over some (new) spoonerisms | Pat Myers | November 18, 2021 | Washington PostAs hundreds flooded into the colony taking up lands all along the James River Valley, he feigned friendship with the newcomers, biding his time for the right moment to put his plan into action.
How a Powhatan Tribal Chief Became One of Colonial America’s Greatest Military Leaders | James Horn | November 17, 2021 | TimePeople who have psychologically mediated physical symptoms always fear being accused of feigning illness.
Why These Children Fell into Endless Sleep - Issue 107: The Edge | Suzanne O’Sullivan | September 22, 2021 | NautilusThe channel’s most popular video to date, an eight-minute clip titled “Oregon Long Run” that currently has over 300,000 views, begins with Teare feigning indignation at the unorthodox way his fellow speedster Evert Silva eats Kit Kats.
These Gen Z Runners Want to Reinvent Running Media | mmirhashem | September 8, 2021 | Outside Online
They cannot feign ignorance at the end of a journey that was ugly all along.
Hillary, ‘The Family,’ and Uganda’s Anti-Gay Christian Mafia | Sally Kohn | February 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTGive us a moment to feign excitement...TVLine Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy went trick-or-treating together.
New Tina Fey Comedy Coming to NBC, Kanye West Whines About Proposal Video Leak | Culture Team | November 1, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd you have to possess a certain amount of humility—or at least try to feign it from time to time.
The Larry Summers Whodunit: Who Killed His Shot at Running the Fed? | Daniel Gross | September 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut anyone who can feign a relationship for 40 days can surely do it for one meal.
I could likely feign my way through a short story—a very short story—in Farsi.
Skilled physicians feign indifference to their calling that they may smack of the kennel and the hunting-field.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian SharmanShe answered coldly that she could not feign; indifferent she was to everything on earth, indifferent she always should be.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend | Charles ReadeKnoblock's sincere indignation wins, and the secretary backs away from the bedroom as I plunge under the covers and feign sleep.
My Wonderful Visit | Charlie ChaplinSomething prompted Jack to lie still and feign sleep, while he kept his gaze on the man, who was looking fixedly at him.
Two Boys in Wyoming | Edward S. EllisIn addition to the bedtime story, Peter found it necessary to feign great weariness in order to suggest a similar feeling in Pat.
The Boy Grew Older | Heywood Broun
British Dictionary definitions for feign
/ (feɪn) /
to put on a show of (a quality or emotion); pretend: to feign innocence
(tr) to make up; invent: to feign an excuse
(tr) to copy; imitate: to feign someone's laugh
Origin of feign
1Derived forms of feign
- feigner, noun
- feigningly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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