pretend
[ pri-tend ]
/ prɪˈtɛnd /
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
Informal. make-believe; simulated; counterfeit: pretend diamonds.
Nearby words
pretarsal, pretarsus, pretax, preteen, pretence, pretend, pretended, pretender, pretense, pretension, pretensive
Origin of pretend
SYNONYMS FOR pretend
1 simulate, fake, sham, counterfeit. 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.
Can be confused
portend pretend (see synonym study at the current entry)Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pretend
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