as in to pose
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Recent Examples of playact
Today, Margaret would be playacting her own massacre in active shooter drills at school.
—
Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 May 2023
Trump’s modus, as ever, was to playact; his game has always been improv.
—Joe Klein, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Trixie advises Alma to playact highness to flummox E.B.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2021
Today, this dynamic lives on in the form of Roblox strip clubs, where young people — mostly, minors — playact at adult sexuality.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2021
The world had first required her to playact as a man.
—Will Stephenson, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020
Yona has it better than the locals who have agreed to playact, and likely die, in Mui’s fake new disaster.
—Madeline Leung Coleman, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2020
In a twist, The Sims is now a way to playact not just an alternate life, but any life at all.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2020
One of the funniest answers to this question comes from the comedian Conner O’Malley, who has built a career playacting the way consumerism warps our spirits.
—Sam Anderson, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2020
Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 May 2023
Trump’s modus, as ever, was to playact; his game has always been improv.
—Joe Klein, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
Trixie advises Alma to playact highness to flummox E.B.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2021
Today, this dynamic lives on in the form of Roblox strip clubs, where young people — mostly, minors — playact at adult sexuality.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2021
The world had first required her to playact as a man.
—Will Stephenson, Harper's Magazine, 15 Sep. 2020
Yona has it better than the locals who have agreed to playact, and likely die, in Mui’s fake new disaster.
—Madeline Leung Coleman, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2020
In a twist, The Sims is now a way to playact not just an alternate life, but any life at all.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2020
One of the funniest answers to this question comes from the comedian Conner O’Malley, who has built a career playacting the way consumerism warps our spirits.
—Sam Anderson, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playact
Verb
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State officials say the mussels can hide in ballast tanks, live wells, and engine systems, surviving long trips and posing risks to even remote mountain lakes.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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The restaurant requires a follow-up inspection but doesn’t pose a threat to the public.—
Garfield Hylton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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One glaring example of compliance masquerading as defiance is voting along party lines out of tradition or allegiance, rather than values.—
Sunita Sah,
Twin Cities,
9 Mar. 2025
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Notably, however, wolfsbane also masquerades as a number of other animal-bane compounds: fox-bane is a species of monkshood (Aconitum vulparia), and hare’s bane has referred to Aconitum lagoctonum.—
Laura Murphy,
JSTOR Daily,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But one of the show’s most viral clips is much more representative: The veteran SNL writer Jim Downey pretends to have never heard about Jeffrey Epstein’s misdeeds, to O’Brien’s bleating objections.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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Appearing in his second Saturday Night Live-adjacent film after Wayne's World, Lowe played the villainous Paul Barrish, Tommy's older stepbrother, who plots to take over his father's company with help from his secret lover, partner-in-crime, and pretend mother, Beverly (played by Bo Derek).—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Now, an indictment charges Weng, 49, with wire fraud, mail fraud and impersonating a federal law enforcement officer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2025
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Rony Hernandez-Morales was taken into custody on charges of identity fraud and impersonating a peace officer.—
Kevin Sabet,
Newsweek,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Beautifully acted and textured with the style and setting of 16th-century England, this season doesn’t quite have the same thrilling tones as its predecessor.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
23 Mar. 2025
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Strong antivirus software acts as a digital shield, safeguarding against potential infections that could compromise personal data or device security.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Engage Your Senses In a shared office environment, playing loud music or lighting a scented candle is frowned upon.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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The Rebellion Is Here Moss, who stars, executive produces and directs on the series, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the emotional impact of becoming a mother herself before playing June one last time for The Handmaid’s Tale.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Putin’s constant lies and dissembling undermined his credibility to international interlocutors, such as President Emmanuel Macron of France.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Sep. 2022
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Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
19 July 2024
Verb
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Someone in Mike Jeffries’ position should feign to have forgotten everything.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
21 Mar. 2025
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Armisen also feigned being asleep when Short would stop by his dressing room nearby his own.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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