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
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 No law compels anyone to pretend to believe that India is a woman. Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 The heartbreak ballad about vowing to pretend until a love is rekindled is a travelogue of good times — including a shout-out to the final iconic birthday cake scene in 1984 coming-of-age classic Sixteen Candles — mixed with the present-day footage of Grande receiving the love-erasing procedure. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 But with whom, exactly, can the international community work on such a plan when there is no longer, without Henry, even a puppet remaining in power who can pretend to represent the Haitian people? Amy Wilentz, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 But Rivian can set itself apart with vehicles that are actually capable of fairly serious off-road driving, something most electric SUVs don’t even pretend to be able to handle. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 During their visit, they were lured to Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport to check on a $700,000 payment that was promised to them by the DEA informant pretending to be a member of the Sinaloa cartel. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 However, our favorite part about this kitchen is the realistic features, like the faucet that makes running water sounds and the ice machine that dispenses pretend ice cubes. Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024 In the second Holland Spider-Man movie, out in 2019, everyone’s friendly neighborhood superhero faces Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, who originally pretends to be Spider-Man’s friend before revealing himself to be a villain. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 1 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 19 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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