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

I would feign shock or dismay at its popularity if I didn’t already know that we are a nation of self-serving masochists.

From Salon ● Apr. 8, 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

Therefore I told myself to feign belief, and to wait for the time when I would go out into the world, learn other ways of life and gather the evidence to confront my parents.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

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

Lydia, who craves to be seen by her family, feigns craving death because of her relationship with Barbara and Adam, who live in the afterlife.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2024

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

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

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Nevertheless, a judge was impressed, or feigned to be, with an obviously disingenuous antitrust claim.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The antics of the “bewitched” girls are so clearly feigned that the audience can recognize the corrupt motivations of the powerful people who are feeding the frenzy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

That leaves only the feigned feud between Paul and Gronkowski — Brady’s longtime pal and New England Patriots teammate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 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

In spite of his feigned interest, José Arcadio never understood the powers of the philosopher’s egg, which to him looked like a poorly blown bottle.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"Showing awareness could suggest a degree of mutual understanding," but feigning ignorance signals that the issue could become a key bargaining point in any future talks with Trump, Hong said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

In some cases, bureaucrats resorted to ostentatious gestures and outright fraud, feigning adherence to unrealistic targets and masking underperformance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

Manager Daniel Farke accused Donnarumma of feigning injury to "bend the rules" and break up play.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

Still feigning death on the ground, he understood.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling