verb

• 1Pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury)

  ‘she feigned nervousness’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Likewise, fighters who feign wounds or injury to lure the enemy within striking range teach their foes to view enemy wounded as a threat, placing all injured soldiers at risk.’
  • ‘Fair enough, there are people who feign injuries and make up claims to make some money, which is totally wrong.’
  • ‘One can affect unawareness, feign indifference or summon up some other defense against such entreaties.’
  • ‘People said that I feigned injury and that I winked when I was on the stretcher.’
  • ‘If a predator approaches an active nest, the adults will give alarm calls and often feign injury to draw the predator away.’
  • ‘In rugby union, if a player's thought to be feigning injury, referees have the discretion to order them from the field.’
  • ‘Apparently many of his patients try to take him for a ride, feigning injuries to achieve compensation, while other call-outs are totally unnecessary.’
  • ‘Anthony and Maxwell are clamouring for her attention, and now the other girls think she's feigning her injury.’
  • ‘Luckily for him, his opponent did not feign injury.’
  • ‘And if that fails, fall to the ground and feign injury to break up your opponents' attack.’
  • ‘When was the last time we heard a manager berate one of his own players on TV for feigning injury, diving, time-wasting or abusing the referee?’
  • ‘They are awarded for offences such as grabbing, holding, feigning injury, pushing and turning one's back on an opponent.’
  • ‘In a time of snarling footballers and feigned injuries and all-round nasty behaviour, it is good to see two footballers smile and laugh so much.’
  • ‘At least three of his opponents claim he feigned injury as a psychological tactic.’
  • ‘Being a big coward myself, I think I'd feign an injury rather than be on a team that has to face this Argentinan side.’
  • ‘The parents readily feign injury to distract attention from young which can fly at around three weeks.’
  • ‘This is like telling the story of a dream by feigning sleep.’
  • ‘With knees bent in, they bob back and forth; some of the men almost look like they're feigning broken limbs.’
  • ‘She raises her eyebrows looking amused, then pulls her maybe face and feigns falling asleep on me.’

  Synonyms

  simulate, fake, sham, affect, give the appearance of, make a show of, make a pretence of, play at, go through the motions of

  pretend, put it on, fake, sham, bluff, pose, posture, masquerade, make believe, act, play-act, go through the motions, put on a false display

  pretended, simulated, assumed, affected, artificial, insincere, put-on, fake, faked, false, sham

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1archaic Invent (a story or excuse).
     ‘I'm really not going to want to leave this office when the time comes… perhaps I can feign a compelling excuse to stay… any suggestions?’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Have him or her call you back; it is reasonable to feign a reason for an emergency exit if you are ill at ease.’
     • ‘The next day I decide that I can probably safely show up at anytime and feign having made an appointment.’