play dead

verb

To lie very still, like a corpse.

“Near-synonym: play doggo”

Similar
play possumplay doggo
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Meanings

verbplay dead (third-person singular simple present plays dead, present participle playing dead, simple past and past participle played dead)

present singular third person plays dead · participle present playing dead · participle past played dead · past played dead

  1. To lie very still, like a corpse.

    Near-synonym: play doggo

    Synonyms: play possum, play doggo

  2. To act as though defeated while awaiting a chance to attack.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo lie very still, like a corpse.

Similar
play possumplay doggo
Also see
play doggo

Translations

Catalan fer el mort
  • fer el mortto lie very still, like a corpse
Chinese Mandarin 裝死 /装死, 裝死 /装死
  • 裝死 /装死 (zhuāngsǐ)to lie very still, like a corpse
  • 裝死 /装死 (zhuāngsǐ)to act as though defeated
Esperanto ŝajnigi sin morta
  • ŝajnigi sin mortato lie very still, like a corpse
Finnish leikkiä kuollutta, esittää kuollutta
  • leikkiä kuolluttato lie very still, like a corpse
  • esittää kuolluttato lie very still, like a corpse
  • teeskennellä kuolluttato lie very still, like a corpse
  • näytellä kuolluttato lie very still, like a corpse
  • leikkiä kuolluttato act as though defeated
  • esittää kuolluttato act as though defeated
  • teeskennellä kuolluttato act as though defeated
  • näytellä kuolluttato act as though defeated
French faire le mort, faire le mort
  • faire le mortto lie very still, like a corpse
  • faire le mortto act as though defeated
German sich tot stellen
  • sich tot stellento act as though defeated
Italian fare il morto, fingersi morto
  • fare il mortoto act as though defeated
  • fingersi mortoto act as though defeated
Korean 죽은 척을 하다
  • 죽은 척을 하다 (jugeun cheogeul hada)to act as though defeated
Norwegian spille død
  • spille dødto act as though defeated
Polish udawać trupa, udać trupa
  • udawać trupato lie very still, like a corpse
  • udać trupato lie very still, like a corpse
  • udawać trupato act as though defeated
  • udać trupato act as though defeated
Spanish hacerse el muerto
  • hacerse el muertoto act as though defeated
Swedish spela död
  • spela dödto lie very still, like a corpse
Tagalog magpatay-patayan
  • magpatay-patayanto lie very still, like a corpse
Turkish ölü taklidi yapmak, ölü taklidi yapmak
  • ölü taklidi yapmakto lie very still, like a corpse
  • ölü taklidi yapmakto act as though defeated
Cite this entry
APA

play dead. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20dead

MLA

“play dead.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20dead. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “play dead,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20dead.

Source: play dead on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.