make-believe

[ meyk-bi-leev ]

/ ˈmeɪk bɪˌliv /

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See synonyms for make-believe on Thesaurus.com

noun

pretense, especially of an innocent or playful kind; playacting; fantasy: the make-believe of children playing.

a pretender; a person who pretends.

adjective

pretended; feigned; imaginary; made-up; unreal: a make-believe world of fantasy.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of make-believe

First recorded in 1805–15

Words nearby make-believe

make away, make away with, Makeba, make bail, makebate, make-believe, make bold, make book, make bricks without straw, make capital out of, make conversation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use make-believe in a sentence

Donetsk, formerly a make-believe republic, is turning into a little neo-Soviet state.
East Ukraine: Back in the USSR|Jamie Dettmer|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her current obsession is Harry Potter, so the guest of honor at her birthday party will be a make believe Hermione Granger.
Can Generation Hot Avoid Its Fate?|Mark Hertsgaard|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We were at the CIA recently, and I broached this question because it was front and center in our make-believe intelligence agency.
‘Homeland’ Showrunner: ‘We Knew We Had to Plot a New Course’|Andrew Romano|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Was this a conspiracy as charged in the indictment, or just some make-believe as the defense contends?
Cannibal Cop’s Dark Fetishes Detailed in Grisly Trial Testimony|Michael Daly|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

As head of a state—even such a make-believe state as the Vatican—Joseph Ratzinger has absolute immunity from legal action.
Pope Benedict XVI’s Tenure Marred by Human-Rights Failures|Geoffrey Robertson|February 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Never mind the dust; I've turned it on to make believe we're going tremendously fast.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
He left about a hundred of us here to make believe we 'uns ware goin' to attack Paris, so to give him time to git away.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
They would pick them up and hold them in their hands and would then make believe they were Cave-men trapping reindeer in the snow.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Then the larger reindeer that had lost their antlers started off to make-believe higher lands.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Already poor Richard was very humble, his make-believe spirit all snuffed out.
Mistress Wilding|Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for make-believe

make believe

verb

to pretend or enact a fantasythe children made believe they were doctors

noun make-believe

a fantasy, pretence, or unreality
(as modifier)a make-believe world

a person who pretends

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with make-believe