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Showing results for make-believe. Search instead for half-believe.
Synonyms

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.

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
"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

noun

    1. a fantasy, pretence, or unreality

    2. ( as modifier )

      a make-believe world

  2. 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
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]

Etymology

Origin of make-believe

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As long as Hegseth keeps his chest-thumping and pull-up contests in the land of make-believe, these men are happy.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026

Watching rehearsals, I felt as though I were observing a rigorous version of children’s make-believe.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

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

From Science Daily • Feb. 10, 2026

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 • Jan. 23, 2026

When he accelerated an alpha particle through the chamber to seed his make-believe clouds, it left a visible trail–like the contrails of a passing airliner.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.