play-act
Britishverb
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(intr) to pretend or make believe
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(intr) to behave in an overdramatic or affected manner
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to act in or as in (a play)
Other Word Forms
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.
No, the preferred way to play-act "normal American man" is to be a massive jerk.
From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2025
Several times, the kids play-act the old cartoonish “Tom Sawyer” game—in which the rascal tricks his buddies into doing his fence-painting chore—and the reference is apt.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 17, 2018
After Paps leaves with no plans to return, the boys play-act as their parents, roleplaying their reunion over the phone.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2018
They play-act traumatic scenarios, like getting a shot at the doctor’s office, in preparation for handling stressful situations in real life.
From The Verge ● Dec. 22, 2017
"But English people don't play-act very well," he commented to himself, reviewing the scene afterward.
From O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1919 by Various
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.
