Make believe

Latest answer — May 04, 2025

20 Down

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, May 04, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Things hidden after purchasing a premium account, maybe
  2. 4Follower of a bit?
  3. 8Bank robber's accessory
  4. 12"The Wild Duck" playwright
  5. 17Egg ___ yung
  6. 18Big name in deodorant
  7. 20Contents of a blog
  8. 21Handle
  9. 22Product that "can cut a slice of bread so thin you can almost see through it!," in old ads
  10. 24Try to open, as a gift
  11. 25Toon fighter of Skeletor
  12. 26French name that's an anagram of a mostly German river
  13. 27Features of jalapeños and piña coladas
  14. 29Coach Lasso on TV
  15. 31Confirmation, e.g.
  16. 32Brand with a line of "Calm + Restore" products
  17. 34Bunless cookout entrees
  18. 37Land
  19. 38Natl. economic stat
  20. 40Spirit for a spritz
  21. 41Moves one's butt (over)
  22. 44Book reviews of sorts?
  23. 47Reason to take iron supplements
  24. 49Concave umbilicus
  25. 50Gives one's all
  26. 52Given reluctantly
  27. 54The Aztecs of the N.C.A.A.
  28. 57Damning info
  29. 58Some hosp. workers
  30. 59Texter's "Bye!"
  31. 60It squirts on a squid
  32. 63Royal house of Mary, Queen of Scots
  33. 67Many air travelers' texts, for short
  34. 70Sci-fi-inspired greeting that's a hint to eight squares in this puzzle
  35. 76Gives a hand
  36. 77"Au ___ les Enfants" (1987 film)
  37. 78Apparel for wizards and thieves
  38. 79Bad spot for a tear, in brief
  39. 82Saison avant l'automne
  40. 84Possible cause of insomnia
  41. 862017 Pixar film inspired by el Día de los Muertos
  42. 87Companion who might take your breath away?
  43. 91Camp inspection after lights out
  44. 94Ballet handrail
  45. 95"Grand" things
  46. 97Over and over
  47. 101All mixed up
  48. 103They contain brains
  49. 105Sorority member, endearingly
  50. 106Org. with a tip line
  51. 107Famous Leonardo da Vinci drawing with four arms and four legs
  52. 109Turns down
  53. 111Little feud
  54. 113Contracted
  55. 114Like organic food products, for short
  56. 117Droops
  57. 118Invasive Japanese vine
  58. 120Alphanumeric component
  59. 122Steaminess
  60. 124Drinks that get slushy over time
  61. 125Places for some braces
  62. 126Senator Baldwin or Duckworth
  63. 127Prefix with -lithic
  64. 128Alternative name for our planet
  65. 129Goes from 0 to 60?
  66. 130Some summer babies
  67. 131"Despicable Me" character voiced by Steve Carell

Down

  1. 1Currency unit of Kabul
  2. 2Enthusiastic reply to "Want to?"
  3. 3Poems also fancily known as quatorzains
  4. 4Barely managing
  5. 5Coffee holder
  6. 6Lit ___ (rhyming class nickname)
  7. 7Antique purchase for an audiophile
  8. 8Dew, for example
  9. 9A nemesissssss to Indiana Jones?
  10. 10More dignified
  11. 11Lead actress in the "Twilight" movies, in tabloids
  12. 12"More or less"
  13. 13Game you likely get worse at the longer you play
  14. 14Band with the 1998 hit "Closing Time"
  15. 15Coup d'___
  16. 16Zip
  17. 19Gospel/jazz singer Reese
  18. 20Make believe
  19. 23"Well, OK"
  20. 28Exodus
  21. 30Practice group?: Abbr.
  22. 33Drooling pooch of the comics
  23. 35Tool for grooming
  24. 36What vinegar or lemon juice adds to a dressing
  25. 39Focus of some psychotherapy, for short
  26. 42Lilliputian
  27. 43Company behind the Saturn and Dreamcast consoles
  28. 45The Masters host city
  29. 46Minty herb used in Japanese cuisine
  30. 48Veep from 1969 to 1973
  31. 51Boxer Beterbiev
  32. 53Countrylike
  33. 54___ card
  34. 55Kendrick Lamar title that completes the lyric "I got power, poison, pain and joy inside my ..."
  35. 56Where to see contrails
  36. 61Tuna type
  37. 62Handed over
  38. 64Dune buggy, e.g., in brief
  39. 65___ Ridgeback, dog breed originally from Zimbabwe
  40. 66Classic sports car, familiarly
  41. 68Hub code for Delta
  42. 69Necessity for off-roading
  43. 71Photog's setting
  44. 72___ Kane, longtime role on "All My Children"
  45. 73Chairman ___ (old N.B.A. nickname)
  46. 74The N.B.A.'s Thunder, on scoreboards
  47. 75Grp. with so-called "camp shows"
  48. 79"Money, Money, Money" group
  49. 80Attired
  50. 81Term of address aboard the Death Star
  51. 83Bringing forth
  52. 85Third degrees?
  53. 88Big name in organs
  54. 89Amanda of film
  55. 90"___ Croft: Tomb Raider"
  56. 91Witticisms
  57. 92Wednesday Addams's werewolf roommate on TV's "Wednesday"
  58. 93Routes across low waters
  59. 96Baby monitors
  60. 98TurboTax activity
  61. 99Getaway driver, for instance
  62. 100Sentiment in a letter from home
  63. 102Just what the doctor ordered?
  64. 104Perturbation
  65. 108Screwdriver component
  66. 110Zip
  67. 111Piece of improv
  68. 112Hue of a dry bloodstain, maybe
  69. 115Cafeteria offering
  70. 116"I've got this one"
  71. 119Women's soccer powerhouse
  72. 121"Who knew?!"
  73. 123Sport that takes place in a dohyo

The answer to “Make believe” in the New York Times crossword is PRETEND — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 4, 2025, a Sunday puzzle, at 20-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Make believe” answer

PRETEND (7 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is PRETEND.

Why the answer is PRETEND

PRETEND is the 7-letter solution that fits "Make believe" in the NYT Crossword crossword on May 4, 2025 (20-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does PRETEND mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of PRETEND is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(verb)

  • behave so as to make it appear that something is the case when in fact it is not
  • lay claim to (a quality or title)

When else has “Make believe” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

May 4, 2025 (most recent) → PRETEND. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Make believe”?

The answer is PRETEND, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 4, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Make believe”?

7 letters: PRETEND.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on May 4, 2025 (a Sunday puzzle), at 20-Down.

Can “Make believe” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for May 4, 2025 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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