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.
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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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Wicker posed a question before the committee, saying senators should ask whether the Pentagon's civilian leadership has proven up to the challenge in the past.Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2025
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TikTok's legal team argued that the law violates the free speech rights of the millions of users in the U.S., while the U.S. government said that ByteDance's ownership of TikTok poses a national security risk.Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Everything appeared normal in their lives until her adoptive parents, Kristine and Michael Barnett, accused Grace of being a functioning adult masquerading as a kid to terrorize them.Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2025
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Mark Wahlberg plays an unhinged, balding hitman masquerading as a chatty helicopter pilot in a new trailer for Mel Gibson’s upcoming thriller, Flight Risk.Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 1 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Jordan Binnington can pretend to want to fight all three American goalies at the same time.Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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No pretending to read I, Seamus Heaney, no Skyping with pretendfriend.com.Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Impersonation: The scammer impersonates the victim and sends emails to contacts, such as banks or vendors, requesting urgent wire transfers or sensitive information.Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2025
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The worst of the night goes to Jeremy Strong, who seems to be impersonating colorful UK singer Jamiroquai.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This type of lighting also acts as decorative lighting.Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2025
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No one wants to speak to a robot, Morgan instructs, so don't act like one.Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Verb
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After launching with a preview performance in Pittsburgh on March 12, the upcoming North American tour will officially open March 15 in Austin, where the show plays in partnership with South by Southwest.Gordon Cox, Variety, 15 Jan. 2025
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Osaka was better than Garcia, who was playing her first match after a three-month mental health break.Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 15 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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The email automation services can automatically add personalized details to emails, feigning to be a fellow alumnus from your school, a speaker of your second language, or a fan of your favorite sport.Nathan Pettijohn, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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There’s a type of bird called a killdeer that’s known for its injuring feigning technique to lure predators away from its nest.Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 3 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near playact
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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