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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These ongoing projects pose challenges to fitting in a NASCAR return within the year.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
25 Jan. 2025
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The two drawing closer together poses a threat to the U.S., and McConnell was skeptical Hegseth was prepared to harness America’s military to confront that challenge.—
Elaine Mallon,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Cursory knowledge masquerading as wisdom in an organization never turns out well.—
Doug Sundheim,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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For Truth, a day of action calling to stop lies to masquerade as truth in social media, real life, and politics.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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After the first, McLaurin tried his own idea, which was pretending to pull a mask down over his head.—
Sam Fortier The Washington Post,
arkansasonline.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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Laurel continues to mock both Emily and Ryan, and then pulls out a book to pretend to read to ignore everyone.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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His sentencing has been delayed while prosecutors have gathered new evidence — including an audio recording demonstrating Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani in order to secure a $200,000 wire transfer.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
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Two people were arrested on Saturday for impersonating firefighters while driving a fake fire truck near the Palisades Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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It is designed to (at least in theory) survive a nuclear war while acting as a command-and-control center.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
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The exterior wooden stairwell acted as a chimney and the fire spread.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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One of the greatest of all time to play the position, one of the greatest players of all time.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
The Athletic,
28 Jan. 2025
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Unlike last preseason, when Inter Miami traveled 25,000 miles to play seven matches across five countries, this year’s tour is more manageable and easier on the players’ bodies.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 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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Seacrest jokingly shied away from Thomas, feigning fear as the celebrations continued.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
23 Jan. 2025
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Amad feigned to shoot, which saw McGregor take the bait and dive to the floor, before dinking it over him.—
Jordan Campbell,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near playact
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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