[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/feigning/)

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# feigning

-ing form of the verb feign (feign, feigns, feigned, feigning)

«feigning» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

Pretending to have a feeling, illness or state that is not real: «feigning sleep», «feigning surprise». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/feigning/#m1)

### In the lessons

In stories, characters feign illness to stay home, or feign sleep to trick someone. In nature, some animals feign death (playing dead) to escape predators, like the opossum. A rather formal word; everyday word is «pretending».

### Examples

- He was feigning illness to miss the test. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/feigning/#x1)
- The opossum survives by feigning death. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/feigning/#x2)
- She lay still, feigning sleep. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/feigning/#x3)
- He was feigning surprise, but he knew about the party. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/feigning/#x4)
- Stop feigning — I know you're awake! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/feigning/#x5)
- The bird was feigning a broken wing to lead the fox away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/feigning/#x6)

### Note

Feign: silent g, sounds like «fain» (rhymes with rain). Formal-ish; prefer «pretending». Do not confuse with «faint» (to pass out).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «feigning» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/feigning/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«feigning» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/feigning.html) on Mova free.