feign
Use Feign in a sentence
verb (used with object)
1.
to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of: to feign sickness.
2.
to invent fictitiously or deceptively, as a story or an excuse.
3.
to imitate deceptively: to feign another's voice.
verb (used without object)
4.
to make believe; pretend: She's only feigning, she isn't really ill.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To feign
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Feign
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is abstain. Does it mean:
| deviating from or inconsistent with the common order, form, or rule; not fitting into a common or type or pattern |
| to hold oneself back voluntarily, especially from something regarded as improper or unhealthy |
Collins
World English Dictionary
feign (feɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to put on a show of (a quality or emotion); pretend: to feign innocence |
| 2. | (tr) to make up; invent: to feign an excuse |
| 3. | (tr) to copy; imitate: to feign someone's laugh |
| [C13: from Old French feindre to pretend, from Latin fingere to form, shape, invent] | |
| 'feigner | |
| —n | |
| 'feigningly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
feign
c.1300, from O.Fr. feign-, pres. stem of feindre "pretend, shirk," from L. fingere "devise, fabricate" (see fiction). Related: Feigned; feigning.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Even for the strongest of the breed, the best strategy is to feign weakness, to play the damsel in distress.
He would put them down on the lectern and then feign surprise that he had forgotten his syllabi in his office.
The way he managed it was to feign stomach trouble and go without eating long enough to convince the doctor.
Killdeer adults will feign a broken wing to distract predators from eggs.
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