play-act


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play-act

or play·act (plā′ăkt′)
intr.v. play-act·ed, play-act·ing, play-acts also play·act·ed or play·act·ing also play·acts
1. To play a role in a dramatic performance.
2. To play a pretended role; make believe.
3. To behave in an overdramatic or artificial manner.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

play-act

vb
1. (intr) to pretend or make believe
2. (intr) to behave in an overdramatic or affected manner
3. (Theatre) to act in or as in (a play)
ˈplay-ˌacting n
ˈplay-ˌactor n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

play-act


Past participle: play-acted
Gerund: play-acting

Imperative
play-act
play-act
Present
I play-act
you play-act
he/she/it play-acts
we play-act
you play-act
they play-act
Preterite
I play-acted
you play-acted
he/she/it play-acted
we play-acted
you play-acted
they play-acted
Present Continuous
I am play-acting
you are play-acting
he/she/it is play-acting
we are play-acting
you are play-acting
they are play-acting
Present Perfect
I have play-acted
you have play-acted
he/she/it has play-acted
we have play-acted
you have play-acted
they have play-acted
Past Continuous
I was play-acting
you were play-acting
he/she/it was play-acting
we were play-acting
you were play-acting
they were play-acting
Past Perfect
I had play-acted
you had play-acted
he/she/it had play-acted
we had play-acted
you had play-acted
they had play-acted
Future
I will play-act
you will play-act
he/she/it will play-act
we will play-act
you will play-act
they will play-act
Future Perfect
I will have play-acted
you will have play-acted
he/she/it will have play-acted
we will have play-acted
you will have play-acted
they will have play-acted
Future Continuous
I will be play-acting
you will be play-acting
he/she/it will be play-acting
we will be play-acting
you will be play-acting
they will be play-acting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been play-acting
you have been play-acting
he/she/it has been play-acting
we have been play-acting
you have been play-acting
they have been play-acting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been play-acting
you will have been play-acting
he/she/it will have been play-acting
we will have been play-acting
you will have been play-acting
they will have been play-acting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been play-acting
you had been play-acting
he/she/it had been play-acting
we had been play-acting
you had been play-acting
they had been play-acting
Conditional
I would play-act
you would play-act
he/she/it would play-act
we would play-act
you would play-act
they would play-act
Past Conditional
I would have play-acted
you would have play-acted
he/she/it would have play-acted
we would have play-acted
you would have play-acted
they would have play-acted
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

play-act

verb
1. To play the part of:
2. To behave affectedly or insincerely or take on a false or misleading appearance of:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

play-act

[ˈpleɪækt] VI (lit) → hacer teatro, actuar (fig) (= pretend) → hacer teatro
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
References in classic literature ?
For hard it was on Michael, a nerve and mental strain of the severest for him so to control himself as to play-act anger and threat of hurt to his beloved Steward.
It gave high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to play-act and try solving several intriguing financial crimes.
But whatever you do, don't play-act like you're an air-headed, not-so-cerebral, mush-for-brains girl.