charade

The definition of a charade is an act or a pretense put on to make something appear different than what it is or a word or phrase that is acted out.

(noun)

An example of charade is when a dysfunctional family pretends to be a happy family on the outside.
An example of charade is a game you play where you try to act something out like a movie title without speaking to get people to guess the name of the movie.

See charade in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a word or phrase acted out or described as in verse, for others to guess
a game in which two teams compete to see which can most quickly guess a group of words or phrases chosen by the other team and acted out in pantomime, often syllable by syllable, by the members of their own
a pretense or fiction that can be seen through readily; travesty

Origin: Fr < Prov charrada < charrar, to gossip, chatter: orig. echoic

See charade in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

Games
a. charades (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A game in which words or phrases are represented in pantomime, sometimes syllable by syllable, until they are guessed by the other players.
b. An episode in this game or a word or phrase so represented.
A readily perceived pretense; a travesty: went through the charade of a public apology.

Origin:

Origin: French

Origin: , probably from Provençal charrado, chat

Origin: , from charra, to chat, chatter

Origin: , perhaps from Italian ciarlare

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charade in a sentence

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