"make believe" meaning in English

See make believe in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Audio: En-au-make believe.ogg Forms: more make believe [comparative], most make believe [superlative]
Head templates: {{en-adj}} make believe (comparative more make believe, superlative most make believe)
  1. imaginary; conjured in someone's imagination, especially that of a child
    Sense id: en-make_believe-en-adj-7zxLaaJ1 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English light verb constructions, English predicates, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Kabuverdianu translations, Terms with Maori translations, Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 56 26 19 Disambiguation of English light verb constructions: 63 25 11 Disambiguation of English predicates: 40 34 27 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 63 19 17 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 67 20 13 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 78 12 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 52 20 28 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 53 18 29 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 61 22 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Kabuverdianu translations: 76 15 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Maori translations: 53 18 29 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations: 50 19 31 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 48 26 25 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 72 16 12

Noun

Audio: En-au-make believe.ogg Forms: make believes [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} make believe (countable and uncountable, plural make believes)
  1. Alternative form of make-believe Tags: alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable Alternative form of: make-believe
    Sense id: en-make_believe-en-noun-dSTRpxQE Categories (other): English predicates Disambiguation of English predicates: 40 34 27

Verb

Audio: En-au-make believe.ogg Forms: makes believe [present, singular, third-person], making believe [participle, present], made believe [participle, past], made believe [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|make<,,made> believe}} make believe (third-person singular simple present makes believe, present participle making believe, simple past and past participle made believe)
  1. (idiomatic, childish) To pretend or imagine. Tags: childish, idiomatic Translations (to pretend): преструвам се (prestruvam se) (Bulgarian), fer veure (Catalan), so tun, als ob (German), finji (Kabuverdianu), whakangaio (Maori), whakatakune (Maori), late som (Norwegian Bokmål), late som om (Norwegian Bokmål), fazer de conta (Portuguese), hacer de cuenta (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-make_believe-en-verb-JuLOb-4F Categories (other): English predicates Disambiguation of English predicates: 40 34 27

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "makes believe",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "making believe",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made believe",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made believe",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "make<,,made> believe"
      },
      "expansion": "make believe (third-person singular simple present makes believe, present participle making believe, simple past and past participle made believe)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "40 34 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Let's build a fort out of chairs and blankets and make believe we are pirates.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1927, Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat:",
          "text": "Only make believe I love you, / Only make believe that you love me. / Others find peace of mind in pretending, / Couldn’t you? / Couldn’t I? / Couldn’t we? / Make believe our lips are blending / In a phantom kiss, or two, or three. / Might as well make believe I love you, / For to tell the truth I do.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To pretend or imagine."
      ],
      "id": "en-make_believe-en-verb-JuLOb-4F",
      "links": [
        [
          "childish",
          "childish"
        ],
        [
          "pretend",
          "pretend"
        ],
        [
          "imagine",
          "imagine"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, childish) To pretend or imagine."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "childish",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "prestruvam se",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "преструвам се"
        },
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "fer veure"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "so tun, als ob"
        },
        {
          "code": "kea",
          "lang": "Kabuverdianu",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "finji"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "whakangaio"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "whakatakune"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "late som"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "late som om"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "fazer de conta"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to pretend",
          "word": "hacer de cuenta"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make believe.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg/En-au-make_believe.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make believe"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "make believes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "make believe (countable and uncountable, plural make believes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "make-believe"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "40 34 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of make-believe"
      ],
      "id": "en-make_believe-en-noun-dSTRpxQE",
      "links": [
        [
          "make-believe",
          "make-believe#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make believe.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg/En-au-make_believe.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make believe"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more make believe",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most make believe",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "make believe (comparative more make believe, superlative most make believe)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "56 26 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 25 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English light verb constructions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "40 34 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
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          "_dis": "63 19 17",
          "kind": "other",
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          "_dis": "67 20 13",
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          "_dis": "78 12 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "52 20 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 18 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Catalan translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "61 22 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 15 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Kabuverdianu translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "53 18 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Maori translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "50 19 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "48 26 25",
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          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "72 16 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "imaginary; conjured in someone's imagination, especially that of a child"
      ],
      "id": "en-make_believe-en-adj-7zxLaaJ1",
      "links": [
        [
          "imaginary",
          "imaginary"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make believe.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg/En-au-make_believe.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make believe"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English light verb constructions",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English predicates",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Kabuverdianu translations",
    "Terms with Maori translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "makes believe",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "making believe",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made believe",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made believe",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "make<,,made> believe"
      },
      "expansion": "make believe (third-person singular simple present makes believe, present participle making believe, simple past and past participle made believe)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English childish terms",
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Let's build a fort out of chairs and blankets and make believe we are pirates.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1927, Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat:",
          "text": "Only make believe I love you, / Only make believe that you love me. / Others find peace of mind in pretending, / Couldn’t you? / Couldn’t I? / Couldn’t we? / Make believe our lips are blending / In a phantom kiss, or two, or three. / Might as well make believe I love you, / For to tell the truth I do.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To pretend or imagine."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "childish",
          "childish"
        ],
        [
          "pretend",
          "pretend"
        ],
        [
          "imagine",
          "imagine"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, childish) To pretend or imagine."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "childish",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make believe.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg/En-au-make_believe.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "prestruvam se",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "преструвам се"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "fer veure"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "so tun, als ob"
    },
    {
      "code": "kea",
      "lang": "Kabuverdianu",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "finji"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "whakangaio"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "whakatakune"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "late som"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "late som om"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "fazer de conta"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to pretend",
      "word": "hacer de cuenta"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make believe"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English light verb constructions",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English predicates",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Kabuverdianu translations",
    "Terms with Maori translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "make believes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "make believe (countable and uncountable, plural make believes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "make-believe"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of make-believe"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "make-believe",
          "make-believe#English"
        ]
      ],
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        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make believe"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
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    "English nouns",
    "English predicates",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Kabuverdianu translations",
    "Terms with Maori translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more make believe",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most make believe",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "make believe (comparative more make believe, superlative most make believe)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "imaginary; conjured in someone's imagination, especially that of a child"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "imaginary",
          "imaginary"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make believe.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg/En-au-make_believe.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/En-au-make_believe.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make believe"
}

Download raw JSONL data for make believe meaning in English (6.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-11-21 using wiktextract (65a6e81 and 0dbea76). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.