make-believe
- adjective
- /ˈmeɪk bɪˈliːv/
- He patted his stomach, full from his make-believe meal.
- make-believe and real
They're very sophisticated, so they know that their best friend is real and Batman is make believe.
- They're very sophisticated, so they know that their best friend is real and Batman is make believe.
Examples
-
It's all make believe, it's all digital.
-
The children's play featured a make-believe castle where they imagined being royalty.
-
It's all make believe, it's all digital.
-
Remember when we had our discussion about make believe?
-
I mean, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world.
-
He jabbed a finger like a make-believe pistol at Pancho, the signal that she was to lift her visor now.
Fiction book (2001) -
Then he held his arms out and pretended he was holding a woman, his body erect, one hand cupping an imaginary elbow, the other a make-believe back.
Fiction book (2002) -
In her make-believe world, she could be anything she wanted, from a superhero to a mermaid.
-
The film created a charming make-believe atmosphere that captivated the audience with its fantasy elements.
Synonyms
Not real and made to look like something real
Not real and used in play
Made to look or act like the real thing for practice
Pretended to be true to make others believe it
Made to seem real to trick people
Antonyms
How Imaginary
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Make-believe comes from the words make 'create' and believe 'accept as real', so it describes something 'made to seem real'. That's why a make-believe kingdom or character is pretend or imaginary.