pretend
Americanverb (used with object)
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pretends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pretended,
past participle, past
-
pretending
present participle
-
to cause or attempt to cause (what is not so) to seem so.
to pretend illness; to pretend that nothing is wrong.
- Synonyms:
- counterfeit, sham, fake, simulate
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to appear falsely, as to deceive; feign.
to pretend to go to sleep.
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to make believe.
The children pretended to be cowboys.
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to presume; venture.
I can't pretend to say what went wrong.
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to allege or profess, especially insincerely or falsely.
He pretended to have no knowledge of her whereabouts.
verb (used without object)
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pretends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pretended,
past participle, past
-
pretending
present participle
-
to make believe.
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to lay claim to (usually followed byto ).
She pretended to the throne.
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to make pretensions (usually followed byto ).
He pretends to great knowledge.
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Obsolete. to aspire, as a suitor or candidate (followed byto ).
adjective
verb
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(when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to claim or allege (something untrue)
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(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to make believe, as in a play
you pretend to be Ophelia
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to present a claim, esp a dubious one
to pretend to the throne
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obsolete to aspire as a candidate or suitor (for)
adjective
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pretendsimple
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pretendssimple
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have pretendedperfect
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has pretendedperfect
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am pretendingprogressive
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are pretendingprogressive
-
is pretendingprogressive
-
have been pretendingperfect progressive
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has been pretendingperfect progressive
Past
-
pretendedsimple
-
had pretendedperfect
-
was pretendingprogressive
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were pretendingprogressive
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had been pretendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pretend
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English pretenden, from Latin praetendere “to stretch forth, put forward, pretend.” See pre-, tend 1
Explanation
To pretend is to act as if you're someone else. If you pretend to be your mother for a phone conference with your math teacher, try putting on her high heels to help you get into character. When children or actors are pretending, it's fine, just playing. But if you pretend to someone who doesn't know you're just playing, you're likely to be condemned for it. No one likes it of you pretend to be a good member of the community just so people won't suspect you when you steal things from their houses. You might pretend you went to Harvard to impress someone, but if he finds out you didn't, he'll be very unimpressed.
Vocabulary lists containing pretend
"Eleven"
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"Eleven," Vocabulary from the short story
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"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Or an acknowledgment that not all cats are as cool as they pretend to be.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
"I pretend they're already my friends and already offered me the job, and this interview is just about figuring out the details," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
For you to pretend they are and honor this man with your presence is unforgivable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Even worse, the people ravaging the sport don’t even have the decency to pretend to like bowling.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Like maybe we might talk, or I might say hey back, that we might pretend we never fought and go eat lunch together.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
In other words, European rearmament will take time, and nobody even pretends that European troops are today fully prepared to replace American brigades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
"He is not happy, he pretends he is happy," said Tamim.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
“He’s not crazy, he only pretends to be” isn’t a viable defense in the real world.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026
Rhonda had fallen victim to what is known as impersonation scam, where a fraudster pretends to be from a bank or other financial institution.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
Can’t face her as he lies, so he pretends to skim the potato chip options.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
Writes Ms. Aviv: “He pretended to speak casually, Andrea said, but she noticed a defiant thrill on his face.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Rand pretended to be me and I pretended to be Rand,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
It’s been widely reported that in the ’80s and ’90s, Trump sometimes pretended to be his own publicist, John Barron, when talking to reporters.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Purwadi had pretended to be Putri on a delivery app, using her name and photo as the account details.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
But the girl who had once pretended to be Joan of Arc had somehow managed to turn make-believe into reality.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Nobody in Austin is pretending this is easy or cheap.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
And now a warning: This could also be an elaborate scam — a scammer pretending to be from Fidelity.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
He is lamenting the death of his wife, Seleuce, who is not actually dead but also on Cyprus, pretending to be a shepherdess and looking for him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
They were places where people remembered each other: who was sick, who had disappeared, who had a new doctor, who was pretending to be fine.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
“I like you. I wasn’t pretending about that. I didn’t have any intention of getting married. To anyone, no matter how many guys my parents pushed on me.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
