as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
I would never feign illness just to get out of a test
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of feign
Jenna Bush Hager Says Daughter Mila Got 'Overwhelmed' by Secret Service Spending Time with First Lady Laura Bush
Guthrie's carousel also featured a picture of the girls at the end of the party, posing on a red truck while Mila feigned a yawn.
—
Hannah Sacks, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Putin is not feigning peace to stay on Trump’s good side merely to gobble up more Ukrainian territory.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Approximately half of late-night TV was off this week, which means Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and Taylor Tomlinson were all spared from having to feign shock and dismay over the vandalism of Teslas.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
Even Cynthia clocks Drew’s pattern of getting caught in lies—and feigning confusion when confronted.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for feign
Hannah Sacks, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Putin is not feigning peace to stay on Trump’s good side merely to gobble up more Ukrainian territory.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Approximately half of late-night TV was off this week, which means Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and Taylor Tomlinson were all spared from having to feign shock and dismay over the vandalism of Teslas.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
Even Cynthia clocks Drew’s pattern of getting caught in lies—and feigning confusion when confronted.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for feign
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feign
Verb
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That’s the point of him; as the Mission: Impossible franchise’s secret agent extraordinaire, Hunt can pretend to be anyone, accomplish basically any physical task, and uncover conspiracies with aplomb.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
23 May 2025
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That old man was Trump—who had just been hospitalized with COVID-19, but was pretending that everything was fine—and yet the column was about America’s gerontocracy as a whole, and what Smith suggested was an unsustainable media omertà around it.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
Verb
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With measurements from the eye, researchers were able to create both anatomical and perceptual models to simulate humpback whale perception.—
Stephanie Edwards,
Discover Magazine,
30 May 2025
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The 100,000-ton warship left Yokosuka naval base earlier this week, while its naval aviators were conducting field carrier landing practice on a Japanese island in the Pacific Ocean, simulating landings on the George Washington's flight deck to obtain landing qualifications.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Verb
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The industry assumes engine testing has to happen in remote areas.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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In a revealing interview on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, Omos detailed his journey from assuming his rapid growth was normal to facing a critical health crisis.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Feign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feign. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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