make-believe

[meyk-bi-leev]

noun

1. pretense, especially of an innocent or playful kind; playacting; fantasy.

   the make-believe of children playing.

2. a pretender; a person who pretends.

adjective

1. pretended; feigned; imaginary; made-up; unreal.

   a make-believe world of fantasy.

make believe

verb

1. to pretend or enact a fantasy

   the children made believe they were doctors

noun

1. 1. a fantasy, pretence, or unreality

   2. ( as modifier )

      a make-believe world

2. a person who pretends

Word History and Origins

Origin of make believe¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Idioms and Phrases

Pretend, as in Let's make believe we're elves. This expression in effect means making oneself believe in an illusion. [Early 1700s]

Related Words

• fictional 
• imaginary 
• simulated