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pretend

[ pri-tend ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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.
Synonyms: , , ,
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.

pretend

/ ��ɪˈ��ɛ�Ի� /

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 play
you pretend to be Ophelia
intrfoll byto to present a claim, esp a dubious one
to pretend to the throne
obsolete.
intrfoll byto to aspire as a candidate or suitor (for)

adjective

fanciful; make-believe; simulated
a pretend gun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of pretend¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English pretenden, from Latin praetendere “to stretch forth, put forward, pretend.” See pre-, tend ¹

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Word History and Origins

Origin of pretend¹

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

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Synonym Study

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This failure to fulfill a promise, and then pretend that it was not made, could not have helped Biden’s electoral fortunes and those of Kamala Harris and the Democrats in the 2024 election.

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It later emerged that Jones, then 21, had pretended to be 14 and groomed her into believing she was in a relationship, which became sexual.

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Today, Trump administration officials “want to pretend that we to choose the environment or the economy, but there’s no evidence that’s true,” said Goldman, of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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As former Republican political consultant Mike Madrid put it, yes, we need to walk and chew gum, “but let’s not pretend that they’re equal, because they’re not.”

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No one is even pretending there is any other reason.

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Related Words

pretence pretended

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