playact
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to engage in make-believe.
-
to be insincere or affected in speech, manner, etc..
It's hard to get away with playacting with members of one's own family.
-
to perform in a play.
verb (used with object)
Other Word Forms
- playacting noun
- playactor noun
Etymology
Origin of playact
1895–1900; back formation from playacting; see play, act, -ing 1
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.
Norah O’Donnell, the “CBS Evening News” and “60 Minutes” journalist, said she used to playact as Ms. Walters.
From New York Times • Dec. 31, 2022
As a youngster, Brian liked to playact with the toys he made.
From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2020
His period visions are rife with knowing winks to the camera; eras turn into aesthetics, to be put on and discarded; and most crucially, adults act like children, as much as children playact as adults.
From Slate • Dec. 13, 2019
Do today’s guests want a 19th-century stage set on which to playact high society?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2016
The two of them playact with each other, pretending to be cordial, but only so it will make the final betrayal even sweeter.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
