make-believe

American  

[meyk-bi-leev] / ˈmeɪk bɪˌliv /

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.

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adjective

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

   a make-believe world of fantasy.

make believe British  

verb

1. to pretend or enact a fantasy

   the children made believe they were doctors

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noun

1. 1. a fantasy, pretence, or unreality

   2. ( as modifier )

      a make-believe world

2. a person who pretends

make believe Idioms  

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

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Etymology

Origin of make-believe

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

We don’t need any make-believe substances to catch his drift, particularly his belief that, even if music may not change the world, at least it can provide some much-needed comfort from it.

From Los Angeles Times

Even younger infants show early signs of understanding make-believe.

From Science Daily

“I think they want to believe in the Spirit of the Sea more than any of the other weird make-believe things they’ve been chasing.”

From Literature

By the time her mom calls her down for dinner, Rita finds that she’s really quite busy with her make-believe adventures—an unexpected ending to a not-so-boring day.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tiler Peck’s “Real Truth,” a world premiere, was accompanied by a tape of Gregory Porter speaking and singing a piety-filled statement about truth versus make-believe.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fictional
• imaginary
• simulated