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

There is, of course, show business, an industry that values make-believe and vanity and couldn’t possibly exist anywhere else.

From Los Angeles Times

Miss Mortimer was charmed by their talent for make-believe and praised them for the fine condition of their imaginations.

From Literature

Thus, in time, serious scientists would be playing make-believe—disguising themselves in fuzzy-furry giant panda costumes.

From Literature

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fictional
• imaginary
• simulated