Act as and Play

Similar meaning terms

Act as verb - Pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind.

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Play is a synonym for act as. In some cases you can use "Play" instead a verb "Act as".

Play verb - Play a role or part.

Usage example: Gielgud played Hamlet

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Act as is a synonym for play. You can use "Act as" instead a verb "Play".

Nearby Words: played, playful, player, playfulness, playing

Since he was too young, he instead hired an actor to play his father's brother and act as guardian while he lived elsewhere with Batgirl.

Source: Staying with Friends
When he's forced to act as Prince Adam instead of He-Man, this can result in characters who don't know his secret being shocked by his sudden desire to "play hero".

Source: The So-Called Coward
In Fallout: New Vegas, the Sink Central Intelligence (which is programmed to act as a valet) adresses the protagonist as "Sir", even when you play a female character.

Source: She Is the King

Cite this Source

Play and Act as. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/act_as/play

Act as & Play. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/act_as/play>.

Play or Act as. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/act_as/play.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "act as" and "play" have occurred on timeline