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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His unchecked access to sensitive national infrastructure, military contracts and energy policies poses serious risks.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2025
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Saul Loeb | Via Reuters The strengthening dollar is posing challenges for the biggest U.S. tech companies, which have become increasingly reliant on overseas revenue.—
Annie Palmer,Ari Levy,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sarah Garrahan & Sue Ding; 2025; USA; 14 min At a photography studio in a Wild West theme park, visitors masquerade as modern visions of the American West.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2025
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As part of a sextortion scheme, Lawal allegedly masqueraded as a young woman on social media and sent Gavin nude photos.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But that was just another mask, corporations and people pretending to care and understand justice, only for it to all be dropped the moment the next administration permitted them to.—
Richard Newby,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Feb. 2025
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The cyberattack involves a phishing scam where criminals pretend to be Best Buy Geek Squad employees.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Authorities in New York City are searching for a man who allegedly impersonated a federal immigration enforcement agent before trying to rape a 51-year-old woman in broad daylight, according to police sources.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
12 Feb. 2025
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One of those bills also would crack down on people who impersonate first responders during a wildfire.—
Anabel Sosa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Lincoln is gradually radicalized to act and Douglass learns how to moderate his message to sway politicians.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
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After all, the implications of a sophisticated A.I. system acting as copilot raise serious questions—such as, will it second-guess or even stop the human pilot from flying if the computer perceives an imminent emergency, which may or may not exist?—
Daniel Cote,
Robb Report,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Chiefs, who are going for their third championship in a row, will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.—
Neil Vigdor,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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The Eagles have played in one Super Bowl in the stadium, losing 27-10 to the Oakland Raiders in 1981.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN,
8 Feb. 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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Neither player feigned even the slightest effort in the shooting portions of the event, halfheartedly heaving the balls at the rim at breakneck speed.—
Joseph Dycus,
The Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2025
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Relentless, hi-def gore is The Monkey’s greatest achievement, but all the blood-spatter in the world couldn’t redeem its clumsy plotting, frat-boy humor, and feigned memento mori.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
7 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near playact
Cite this Entry
“Playact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playact. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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