feign

Or that night we stumbled onto a giant controlled burn and saw the flames reach up and tickle the moon and recognized the gnawing feeling that fire is something we can only feign to control.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

The perpetrator would have to keep at least one clue from his victims to feign innocence, but a subtle inconsistency would allow others to infer his guilt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

The Vault dwellers may have chin-tentacles and sinister secrets, but they understand something essential.In the post-apocalypse, the ability to feign normalcy — and further, to curate pleasure — is a luxury.

From Salon ● May 12, 2025

For now, though, there is no need to feign graciousness—and there is no need to pretend that any of this is or ever will be truly OK.

From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2024

My answer to this was to feign indifference.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

She feigns outrage loudly, according to people who like her, and yells maniacally, according to people who don’t.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

A burst of laughter and applause erupts from the crowd as he feigns confusion by turning and pointing to invisible supporters, as if he does not realize his back is to them.

From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

At one point in the clip, he hides in a bullet train toilet and feigns illness when confronted by a conductor.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2023

Noonan feigns surprise at the turnabout while crediting others for his team’s accomplishments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023

While Jasper, his spaniel ears a-droop, feigns indifference to the arrival of the cakes.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Which woman will accept his obviously feigned love?

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Back when he was in first grade, Bennett feigned illness so he could get sent home and spend some time with his dad, whom he hadn’t seen in two weeks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

As those scenes played in New York, Swift affectionately turned to Saunders and yelled, "YES!" as he giggled and covered his face in feigned shyness.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

When another student enters and surveys the bodies on the ground in poorly feigned shock, few manage to suppress their giggles.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2025

Mamma feigned ignorance to slang, which just infuriated Dimple more.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Manager Dave Roberts and his pitching coaches haven’t been particularly forthcoming, either, feigning ignorance about the glove that looks as big as Sasaki’s head.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Spaeny: It’s what every actor is thinking except they’re feigning ...

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

However, the “Hannah Montana” star did not end her mockery there—going on to accuse Cooper of feigning innocence about the proximity of their properties.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026

Crisis actor is a derogatory label used by conspiracy theorists to allege that someone is deceiving the public -- feigning injuries or death -- while posing as a victim of a tragic event.

From Barron's ● Dec. 16, 2025

Not clumsy, not feigning false incompetence, but with perfect, practiced skill.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman