pretend
Americanverb (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:
- counterfeit, sham, fake, simulate
-
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 byto ).
She pretended to the throne.
-
to make pretensions (usually followed byto ).
He pretends to great knowledge.
-
Obsolete. to aspire, as a suitor or candidate (followed byto ).
adjective
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
-
to present a claim, esp a dubious one
to pretend to the throne
-
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
-
pretendsimple
-
pretendssimple
-
have pretendedperfect
-
has pretendedperfect
-
am pretendingprogressive
-
are pretendingprogressive
-
is pretendingprogressive
-
have been pretendingperfect progressive
-
has been pretendingperfect progressive
Past
-
pretendedsimple
-
had pretendedperfect
-
was pretendingprogressive
-
were pretendingprogressive
-
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Eleven," Vocabulary from the short story
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
I wouldn’t say anyone’s asking for this, but we want to do some little wish fulfillment, or just live in a world where you can pretend that this is happening.
From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2026
Even worse, the people ravaging the sport don’t even have the decency to pretend to like bowling.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
“It is low volatility until it is not. The trick is not to pretend that intervention cannot happen. It is to avoid picking up nickels in front of it.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
She also got to treat patients, including one with "fidgety legs", give out pretend prescriptions, take phone calls and tinker with various bits of medical equipment.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Sing and pretend to be happy until she took the road to Galway.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
What’s disheartening is that she pretends there is no connection, telling Vogue Italia last week, “Algorithms and artificial intelligence are the opposite of taking risks to me, and that is the opposite of making art.”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
"He is not happy, he pretends he is happy," said Tamim.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
The bot’s final product is exactly that: an essay that pretends to divulge, to confess, to promise, and to portray.
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 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
She pretends to be foolish, flighty, and immature.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Hine often donned disguises or pretended to be inspecting a factory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 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
“He looks like Eliot Ness,” the president declared of his veep in a televised Cabinet meeting in May while high-level administration officials pretended to laugh.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
I pretended I was happy for the space so he didn’t feel bad.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
It has pesto, not because you are pretending it is August, but because some part of August was worth saving.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
"There is a possibility that bad actors may claim usernames... and message other users while pretending to be someone they are not," the English-language daily quoted a senior government official as saying.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
A coalition mindset doesn’t mean denying history or pretending that America has been a level playing field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
“So supportive that he pressured her to quit while pretending he wasn’t pressuring her,” one viewer wrote on Reddit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
He closed his eyes, pretending his parents were there to tell him what to do.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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.
