pretend

1 of 2

verb

pre·​tend pri-ˈtend How to pronounce pretend (audio)
pretended; pretending; pretends

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 expertiseClive Barnes

pretend

2 of 2

adjective

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
Choose the Right Synonym for pretend

assume, affect, pretend, simulate, feign, counterfeit, sham mean to put on a false or deceptive appearance.

assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

feigned sickness

counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

Examples of pretend in a Sentence

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
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s chief executive officer, tried to pretend that the company wasn’t Chinese—describing it instead as a global company headquartered in Singapore and Los Angeles—in his congressional testimony last year, a feeble dodge that undermined his credibility. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2024 Those leaders shouldn’t pretend that the burden of a solution in Gaza lies entirely with Jerusalem or Washington. Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024 Trade marks For scammers pretending to work at the Federal Trade Commission, 2024 looks like a bumper year. Nick Rockel, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 All the tracks need supplemental forms of gaming income, such as Historical Horse Racing in Kentucky (slot machines pretending to be games of skill), to survive. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 One scam type, W-2 phishing, is when scammers pretend to be a legit tax adviser and con people into providing them with their W-2 forms, usually via email or text. Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 20 Mar. 2024 To make each of their exes jealous, Bea and Ben, who secretly can’t stand each other, pretend to be madly in love at the wedding. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 One groomsman pretended to find it, delivering a Ring Pop to Mr. Trotter. Andrew Zucker, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Mary Fulginiti: This is a woman who is pretending to be a grieving widow and making all these posts on social media. Michelle Miller, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2024
Adjective
If the pretend water plant in this article had been real, a successful hack could have brought about serious consequences. Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024 If kids can grow out of their pretend pals, so too can horror audiences of cynical snoozes like this. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 While using one of the 18 accessories that come with this kitchen (including pots and pans for cooking a favorite meal), children can engage in pretend play, which is directly linked to higher social-cognitive and social-emotional skills. Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024 The videos showed a then-toddler True enjoying playing in her pretend kitchen inside the playhouse, ready to serve her mom a meal. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024 The building blocks are entertaining and educational, creating opportunities to expand STEAM skills and engage in pretend play. Katrina Cossey, Parents, 14 Feb. 2024 The girl dad is immersed in pretend play, a customer in his daughters' beauty shop. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 24 Jan. 2024 How could these missionaries not know: there is no foreign song in a pretend foreign song. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 In images shared by their photographer, per the New York Post, Dana and Joe posed outside their old high school with Joe's groomsmen in a pretend football lineup. Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 12 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near pretend

Cite this Entry

“Pretend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretend. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pretend

1 of 2 verb
pre·​tend pri-ˈtend How to pronounce pretend (audio)
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 adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on pretend

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