as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
zoomed around the house in a make-believe car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
make believe
2 of 3phrase
as in pretend
to present a false appearance of
He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school.
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in fiction
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of make-believe
Jessica George, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2025
The weeklong childhood stays with my uncle in Brooklyn got multiplied by a few more weeks when telling people about my make-believe dual-city upbringing.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Adjective
Millennials may remember Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen’s colorful Magic School Bus books, which offered children make-believe field trips to hard-to-reach places: the Milky Way Galaxy, the bottom of Earth’s oceans, and the organs of the human body, just to name a few.
—Jessica George, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2025
The weeklong childhood stays with my uncle in Brooklyn got multiplied by a few more weeks when telling people about my make-believe dual-city upbringing.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
Phrase
Yet in the past, intimate scenes in theater, film and television were rarely treated with the same mindfulness as a make-believe duel.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2023
The internet provided a fertile new stage for my proclivity for make-believe.
—Kira Homsher, Longreads, 14 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for make-believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for make-believe
Adjective
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Is all this merely a sci-fi imaginary consideration?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
-
Any other Countdown viewers dig their fingernails into an imaginary steering wheel when this second SUV followed his buddy into this left turn with zero regard for the oncoming white sedan?!—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
18 July 2025
Noun
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Because his reality emerges from fiction, Musk is untethered from any sense of earthly constraints.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
28 July 2025
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Stablecoins versus traditional cross-border payments: Separating truth from fiction For the last few years, the narrative from many in the stablecoin space has been that the technology is inherently cheaper and faster than established cross-border payments solutions.—
Daniel Webber,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Adjective
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An adoption of a fictitious docudrama style, where scenarios are created for the show’s cast, brought in more subpar episodes which many feel didn’t help the cause.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
-
Unsurprisingly, then, scammers are also keen to exploit this by way of fictitious job opportunities through unofficial channels, websites, emails, and text messages.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
To our surprise, the simulation converged on a very triangular shape and decreased the clubhead’s volume.—
Michael LoRé,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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Throughout an hour-long immersive simulation, college students assume the role of an individual navigating real-world financial decisions, balancing income, expenses, savings, debt, and long-term goals.—
Jane Swift,
Fortune,
31 July 2025
Adjective
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Nearly two decades ago, Miley Cyrus took on the persona of fictional superstar Hannah Montana.—
Allison Kiehl,
The Tennessean,
30 July 2025
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The main song Golden has topped the Billboard 100 and together the songs of fictional bands HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have beat a billion streams across Spotify and YouTube.—
Amy Sterling,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Noun
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But this study shows chimpanzees might also be into social imitation for the sake of it.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
19 July 2025
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Deirdre O'Connell gets a supporting actress mention for doing a broad imitation of Nancy Marchand’s performance as Tony's nightmare mother on The Sopranos.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Py for the programming language Python, and Theus for Theseus, after the Greek hero who killed the mythical Minotaur.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
21 July 2025
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The name Siren's Curse comes from the mythical sirens who reside in Lake Erie and lure sailors with their singing.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
18 July 2025
Noun
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The investigative methods and technical capabilities described are accurate representations.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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Legal complications now surround the production, with a substantial defamation claim challenging the show’s factual representations.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Make-believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/make-believe. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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