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]

Example Sentences

Rousseau’s make-believe world, beautifully abundant, unfolds like a series of enchanting though dramatic dioramas in the last gallery.

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If Linda Klein really thinks about it, her Hollywood ambitions took root when she was 6, playing make-believe in her big brass bed: “I was wanting to be on TV ... so dreams do come true.”

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I’m not brave enough to say it to his face, so I’ll say it in a make-believe breakup scene.

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Not the make-believe, cities-overrun violence that has led to the military in our streets, but real, targeted political violence that has crept into society with increasing frequency.

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He described his testimony as “make-believe” and “stories they wanted to hear.”

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Related Words

• fictional 
• imaginary 
• simulated