What is pretend

Pretend Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

1 of 2

pre·​tend pri-ˈtend 

transitive verb

1

: to give a false appearance of being, possessing, or performing

does not pretend to be a psychiatrist

2

a

: to make believe : feign

he pretended deafness

b

: to claim, represent, or assert falsely

pretending an emotion he could not really feel

3

archaic : venture, undertake

intransitive verb

1

: to feign an action, part, or role especially in play

2

: to put in a claim

cannot pretend to any particular expertise Clive Barnes

pretend

2 of 2

1

: imaginary, make-believe

had a pretend pal with whom he talked

2

: not genuine : mock

pretend pearls

3

: being a nonfunctional imitation

a pretend train for the children to play in

Synonyms

Verb

• dissemble
• dissimulate
• let on
• make out

Adjective

• artificial
• bogus
• dummy
• ersatz
• factitious
• fake
• false
• faux
• imitation
• imitative
• man-made
• mimic
• mock
• sham
• simulated
• substitute
• synthetic

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Example Sentences

Verb He had a big stain on his shirt, but I pretended not to notice. The children pretended to be asleep. She looked like she was enjoying the party but she was just pretending. It was a mistake, and to pretend otherwise would be foolish. The children were pretending to be animals. He pretended to make a phone call. Let's just pretend for a moment. I'm your boss. What would you say to me? Adjective The children played on a pretend train. if you were to see the movie's pretend jewels in real life, you wouldn't be fooled for a minute See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Timoner does not spare us the details, which is a gift in a nation and culture that pretend the dead and the dying do not exist. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2022 Gray tells the story of Paul’s discovery of the iniquities of race and class, but doesn’t pretend that this painful knowledge might redeem him, much less rescue Johnny. A.o. Scott, New York Times , 27 Oct. 2022 Better to set up a reparations commission or offer some symbolic small-scale funding than to pretend that reparations are inconceivable. Noah Gordon, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2022 This one is made of durable material so even the youngest hands can pretend to bake the sweetest desserts. Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping, 24 Oct. 2022 Through it all, many in the upper echelons of the recording industry have said and done nothing, apparently preferring to pretend that Black and Latino men aren’t getting thrown in prison for making music. Erika D. Smithcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 The varied views toward Russian counterparts from scientists in the West—to rely on official guidelines, to pretend the Russian people are powerless, or to evoke a complete cutoff—all emanate from a shared position: the innocence of the spectator. WIRED, 26 Aug. 2022 Harnessing motor skills and their imagination, this ice cream set will give the 3-year-old the opportunity to pretend to run their own ice cream stand. Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 18 Aug. 2022 There’s simulated violence that leads to pretend fear, to get the adrenaline going without a true threat. Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Oct. 2022

Plus, this bilingual toy for 2-year-olds does double duty — the wooden animals are also thick enough to act as stand-alone animals, perfect for pretend play. Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping, 14 Oct. 2022 The choice Moscow had made, after months of pretend diplomacy, victim-playing and lies on the international stage was beneath all dignity, Zelensky thought. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2022 The Dropout actress, 36, posted a photo on her Instagram Story Thursday of her two children — son Thomas, 2, and daughter Nina, 5 — exploring their imaginations together with pretend food. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2022 Those documents were passed to clients, and to real and pretend media in Florida and Alabama. John Archibald | [email protected], al, 1 Sep. 2022 Wooden cars and a train with working wheels are also provided to be able to get around their pretend city. Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 18 Aug. 2022 At first that meant playing make-believe together, in which Maggie was a pretend horse that young Marissa would train to go in circles. April Wallace, Arkansas Online, 24 July 2022 From a pretend cruise at sea to music video-style pool parties, this isn't your average seniors' home. Zulekha Nathoo, USA TODAY, 15 July 2022 The jig was up at the pretend quarterfinal stage when the police cracked down and arrested four persons involved with it. Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz, 11 July 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pretend. ' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French pretendre, from Latin praetendere to allege as an excuse, literally, to stretch out, from prae- pre- + tendere to stretch — more at thin

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1708, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of pretend was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Dictionary Entries Near

pretemporal

pretend

pretendant

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

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“Pretend. ” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretend. Accessed 8 Nov. 2022.

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Kids Definition

pretend 1 of 2

pre·​tend pri-ˈtend 

1

: to give the appearance of being, having, or doing

I don't pretend to be a doctor, but you should do something about that cough

2

: to make believe : act a part or role

pretend to be a bear

pretend I'm your boss. What would you say?

pretend

2 of 2

: imaginary, make-believe

More from Merriam-Webster on

Nglish: Translation of pretend for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of pretend for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: 3 Nov 2022

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Merriam-Webster unabridged

Pretend Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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[ pri-tend ]

/ prɪˈtɛnd /

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See synonyms for: pretend / pretended / pretending on Thesaurus.com

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

Definition of pretend

verb (used with object)

to cause or attempt to cause (what is not so) to seem so: to pretend illness; to pretend that nothing is wrong.

to appear falsely, as to deceive; feign: to pretend to go to sleep.

to make believe: The children pretended to be cowboys.

to presume; venture: I can't pretend to say what went wrong.

to allege or profess, especially insincerely or falsely: He pretended to have no knowledge of her whereabouts.

verb (used without object)

to make believe.

to lay claim to (usually followed by to): She pretended to the throne.

to make pretensions (usually followed by to): He pretends to great knowledge.

Obsolete. to aspire, as a suitor or candidate (followed by to).

adjective

Informal. make-believe; simulated; counterfeit: pretend diamonds.

OTHER WORDS FOR pretend

1 simulate, fake, sham, counterfeit.

See synonyms for pretend on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Origin of pretend

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English pretenden, from Latin praetendere “to stretch forth, put forward, pretend.” See pre-, tend¹

synonym study for pretend

1. Pretend, affect, assume, feign imply an attempt to create a false appearance. To pretend is to create an imaginary characteristic or to play a part: to pretend sorrow. To affect is to make a consciously artificial show of having qualities that one thinks would look well and impress others: to affect shyness. To assume is to take on or put on a specific outward appearance, often (but not always) with intent to deceive: to assume an air of indifference. To feign implies using ingenuity in pretense, and some degree of imitation of appearance or characteristics: to feign surprise.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pretend

Words nearby pretend

prêt-à-porter, pretarsus, pretax, preteen, pretence, pretend, pretended, pretender, pretense, pretension, pretensive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to pretend

assume, bluff, feign, fool, impersonate, profess, purport, put on, imitate, suppose, act, affect, allege, beguile, cheat, claim, counterfeit, cozen, deceive, delude

How to use pretend in a sentence

• Let’s pretend that politicians wake up and don’t reopen restaurants and we avoid a big wave in March.

  Why Opening Restaurants Is Exactly What the Coronavirus Wants Us to Do|Caroline Chen|February 6, 2021|ProPublica

• After a certain point, you can’t even pretend that you have control.

  This is how we lost control of our faces|Karen Hao|February 5, 2021|MIT Technology Review

• We should not pretend that the Facebook Oversight Board is more than a McGuffin designed to distract us from serious issues.

  Facebook's "Oversight Board" Is a Sham. The Answer to the Capitol Riot Is Regulating Social Media|Maria Ressa|January 28, 2021|Time

• It’s terrible, and you constantly have to pretend you like it.

  Why You Don't Feel as Fulfilled From Your Job as You Think You Should|Eliana Dockterman|January 25, 2021|Time

• I wasn’t, but I pretended otherwise, just to see if Pennyroyal Station followed through on requests.

  Like a good neighbor, Pennyroyal Station is there for you|Tom Sietsema|January 22, 2021|Washington Post

• For Kirke it was being paid to pretend to play the oboe that heightened her affair with classical music.

  ‘Mozart in the Jungle’: Inside Amazon’s Brave New World of Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music|Kevin Fallon|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• The irony has thinned with the economy, perhaps: Who can really afford just to pretend to DIY today?

  Glenn Beck Is Now Selling Hipster Clothes. Really.|Ana Marie Cox|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• Sure, some parents would rather pretend their kids would never look at that stuff.

  The Next Frontier of Sex Ed: How Porn Twists Teens’ Brains|Aurora Snow|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• Quickly, the lines between their pretend feelings for each other and their real ones are blurred.

  Team Peeta or Team Gale: Why the ‘Hunger Games’ Love Triangle Ruins ‘Mockingjay – Part 1’|Kevin Fallon|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• Or: “Jazz: Just pretend you like it, that's what everyone else is doing.”

  What’s With This Uncool Surge in Jazz Bashing?|Ted Gioia|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

• A quite young child will, for example, pretend to do something, as to take an empty cup and carry out the semblance of drinking.

  Children's Ways|James Sully

• I believe I murmured something suitable, but it was absurd to pretend to be overjoyed at the news.

  Uncanny Tales|Various

• That my aspirations were satisfied I do not pretend, for ambition forbade any settled feeling of rest or content.

  Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

• I've only known Indian rivers for five and twenty years, and I don't pretend to understand.

  Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling

• We shall have to pretend to do some gun practice, and drop a shell on to its surface to find out.

  Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for pretend

pretend

/ (prɪˈtɛnd) /

verb

(when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to claim or allege (something untrue)

(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to make believe, as in a playyou pretend to be Ophelia

(intr foll by to) to present a claim, esp a dubious oneto pretend to the throne

(intr foll by to) obsolete to aspire as a candidate or suitor (for)

adjective

fanciful; make-believe; simulateda pretend gun

Word Origin for pretend

C14: from Latin praetendere to stretch forth, feign, from prae in front + tendere to stretch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

PRETEND | value | Small Academic Dictionary of the Russian Language

Small Academic Dictionary of the Russian Language

0-9
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(1)

- yes; carriers

1.

to pretend 1.

2.

Strad. to pretend.

(2)

I am, I am.

Nesov. By , pretend to be 2.

Place

What is

Press , Press This, the meaning of the word pretend , the origin (etymology) Place , synonyms for Place , paradigm (form forms)

pretending to be

pretending,

pretended,

pretended,

pretended,

pretended,

pretended to be pretending 9000 9,0004 pretending

pretending to Efremova New Dictionary of the Russian Language. Interpretative derivational

pretense i s

1. nons.

1) Shut up, close loosely (about a door, window).

2) Suffering to verb: pretend.

2. nes.

Take over to deceive, to deceive.

► synonyms for PRETEND - Dictionary of Russian synonyms

pretend, pretend, hide, introduce yourself, say, break, dissemble, cunning; impersonate, show (make) a look, take on (false appearance, appearance), wear (put on) a mask, pose (build) out of oneself, play a role, break a comedy, act, act, pretend, hypocrite, simulate, disguise; splurge, set dust (dust), force, imitate what, drape, pretend to be what, put on what, become poor, do smth. under the guise of what; suffix -nichat: to put on airs, to be generous, to be liberal, to be serious, to be indifferent, to be zealous; close up, sculpt a humpback, wear a mask, be serious, slam, slam, shut up, tell, hare bother, act, bluff, make up, mow, portray, sly, pretend to be, put on a mask, pretend, dress up in a toga, put on disguise, play a comedy, break a comedy, put on a mask, play a comedy, put on a mask, act as a hypocrite

► synonyms k PRETEND - Dictionary of Russian synonyms to close, shut up, slam shut, hide behind

► synonyms for PRETEND - Dictionary of Russian synonyms 3

Pretend, pretend, hide, introduce yourself, say, break, dissemble, cunning; impersonate, show (make) a look, take on a false appearance, wear (put on) a mask, pose (build) out of yourself, play a role, break a comedy, act, act, act, hypocrite, simulate, disguise; splurge, set dust (dust), force.

Forge someone else's signature. Draped in the toga of a magnanimous judge. "One of those people ... who drape themselves importantly in extraordinary feelings, sublime passions and exceptional suffering." Lerm. Makes himself a joke. Made a fool of myself. Pretend to be a Kazan orphan. Be poor. Take on the appearance (appearance) of oppressed innocence. To idle under the guise of humility. The tramp hid mute. heard in the verb suffix: to put on airs, to be generous, to be liberal, to be serious, to be indifferent, to be zealous, etc.>...

Meaning, Synonyms, Definition, Sentences. What it's like to pretend

When it comes to poverty, we rich people need to stop pretending we know how best to act.

I could no longer pretend that everything was fine.

She has not really changed, just tired of pretending.

Once I saw that we were not the only judges of divine truth, but just human beings, I could no longer pretend.

You don't have to pretend to be upset anymore

We like to pretend to be harsh, indifferent scientists

We don't have to pretend anymore.

I no longer want to hide the truth, pretend and endure.

Leonard, who was soft-hearted and not smart, pretended to drink heavily.

But the girl was a master of deceit, which is much more than just lying or pretending.

It's so much fun to pretend like you care about these people's lives.

But I had to stop pretending I didn't like rough sex.

I did not give it away, although I knew that it was useless to pretend anyway.

However, she did not like to pretend and was very fond of both men.

Her voice trembled, but only because it was getting harder and harder to pretend.

She wasn't going to pretend to be sorry she hurt the soldier.

Treadwell's need to create his own new identity led him to pretend.

We can't pretend, but we can slow them down a bit.

I shouldn't be standing here pretending not to be sniffed by a German Shepherd.

So I literally had to pretend to be someone else to get through this.

Then I'll pretend so well that even you won't know it's not true.

But I can pretend to study for bucks an hour.

I won't pretend to understand what I'm talking about.

I don't have to pretend to love you and the other little things in your firm.

I know how hard it is to pretend that you love someone who is your enemy.

And then go back. .. and pretend to disagree about the reason for this.

I can no longer pretend to believe.

You don't have to pretend that you like my music anymore.

Now you don't have to pretend that you are on extra income.

I can't pretend to approve of divorce.

Pretend you're stalking him when you're really working for him.

I just thought it would be fun to pretend to be someone else.

I will not pretend to understand what drives you and give you hope.

Can you stop pretending that you are better than everyone else?

We have to pretend to them.

I am not a good person and I should not stand in front of the whole city and pretend to be good.

I am well versed in the art of pretending to be a gentleman.

Let's not pretend that John is your first employee.

You can say: We will change this law and allow it, but we cannot say that we will pretend that nothing is happening.

And since Putin is likely to be re-elected for another six-year term in 2018, we can't just pretend the problem doesn't exist.

I won't pretend to understand all this, but it seems to be a great sport.

I think we have taught men to feel invulnerable when they are vulnerable, to pretend they know when they don't know. If this is not so, how else can one explain the current state of the world.

And you have to keep your distance or go home but pretend.

To make her happy, should I go there and pretend to be someone I'm not?

Instead of pretending to be confident and risking frequent misses, commentators should be honest about uncertainties.

Pretending to work late so I don't have to come home and run into him.

Well, I'm not an expert on Georgia, so I won't pretend to have a detailed list of specific recommendations for our future relationship with Tbilisi.

We can no longer pretend that we do not know about this suffering.

Children like to pretend to be adults when they play.

Is it possible to pretend for a while and get a result that gives a feeling of strength and confidence?

If that doesn't work, then it's time for economists to stop pretending we have all the answers.

If Trump is the Russian “mole”, then it looks like this scam is long, and he will have to pretend for a very long time.

But I like to pretend that I do it playfully.

I can't, he says, pretend to be deaf and dumb anymore.

Obviously, les femmes are much better at pretending.

But pretending to yourself that you are a little in love is very pleasant, and this does not in the least interfere with serious studies.

We can't pretend anymore that you'll fit in, BK, now I think it's worth ripping off the band-aid in one fell swoop.

Stop pretending you're Honor Puller.

We will go shopping, pretend to be a couple in love.

People work and wait all their lives to move here, sit warm, pretend they're not hot, and impose these rules on everyone.

You know, pretending to be a cop is a class E felony.

You broke the rules my girl, what's the use of pretending it's easy to fix.

Nothing to pretend, he scolds, continuing to shred me.

I'm not going to pander to his homophobia and pretend to be considering an offer we both know. Learn more Free reading software programs Sample of compound words My kid can read Alphabet sounds chart printable What are the methods of teaching reading Garbage truck songs for toddlers Letter sounds phonics Adjectives that describe mom Maths sheets for kindergarten Words rhyme with look Free learn to read websites