make believe

1 of 3

phrase

Synonyms of make believenext
: pretend, feign
made believe that everything was all right

make-believe

2 of 3

noun

make-be·​lieve ˈmāk-bə-ˌlēv How to pronounce make-believe (audio)
variants or less commonly make-belief
ˈmāk-bə-ˌlēf How to pronounce make-believe (audio)
: a pretending that what is not real is real
… a fiction writer's childish willingness to immerse himself in make-believe.—John Updike

make-believe

3 of 3

adjective

: imaginary, pretended

Synonyms of make believe

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of make believe in a Sentence

Adjective zoomed around the house in a make-believe car
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Johansson may have been in character while wearing the shoes, but there’s nothing make-believe about their comfort. — Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026 Meanwhile, O’Rourke kept a brave smile on her face, eager to step onto set and lose herself in make-believe before the cameras. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Kids just call it make-believe. — Mac Barnett, Longreads, 5 May 2026 Now, there is a brand-new way to immerse yourself in the magical, make-believe worlds that delight us on screen. — Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for make believe

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1794, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1806, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of make believe was in 1794

Rhymes for make believe

See All Rhymes for make believe

Browse Nearby Words

makebate
make believe
make-believe
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Make believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20believe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

make-believe

1 of 2 noun
make-be·​lieve
ˈmāk-bə-ˌlēv
: a pretending to be another person or character (as in the play of children)

make-believe

2 of 2 adjective
: imaginary
was only a make-believe lion

More from Merriam-Webster on make believe

Nglish: Translation of make believe for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All