Only make believe I love you, / Only make believe that you love me. / Others find peace of mind in pretending, / Couldn’t you? / Couldn’t I? / Couldn’t we? / Make believe our lips are blending / In a phantom kiss, or two, or three. / Might as well make believe I love you, / For to tell the truth I do.1927, Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat:
make believe
adj
1
imaginary; conjured in someone's imagination, especially that of a child
make-believe
noun
/ˈmeɪk bəˌliːv/ · /ˌmeɪk bəˈliːv/
Etymology Deverbal from make believe.
1
Childish, Sometimes The quality or act of pretending; acting as if something is true when in fact one knows it is not.
Come on, come on, I go up and down / I like this curious feeling / I know, I see, it's like make believe / Cover your ears so you can hear what I'm saying1985, “The Lady Don't Mind”, in Little Creatures, performed by Talking Heads:
2
Childish, Sometimes The condition of pretending or imagining that things are better than they really are.
‘You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Marjorie Lindon, to even think such nonsense. Are you all nerves and morbid imaginings,—you who have prided yourself on being so strong-minded! A pretty sort you are to do battle for anyone.—Why, they’re only make-believes!’1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle: