pretend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
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)
-
pretends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pretended,
past participle, past
-
pretending
present participle
-
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:
Although I’ve consistently argued that long-term investors should keep most of their money in stocks, you can’t just look at the past and pretend that it precisely foretells the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
And this "enabled the club to pretend that such funds represented operating income".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Herzog doesn’t have the answer to that question, and he doesn’t pretend to.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
We loved getting paid for it, but we hated that they used actors to pretend they were us, when we were just as smart and talented as anybody that was being put on the screen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
I pretend not to notice and turn away from him.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Fearing that the surprise visitor might be a “dangle”—someone who pretends to switch sides to gain a foothold in the enemy camp—his hosts were wary at first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 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
Sean O'Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the country's biggest unions, verbally attacked Mullin at a 2023 hearing, calling him a "greedy CEO who pretends like he's self-made".
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
She looks up and smiles into my lens and then pretends to engross herself in her work.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Also this year, Cohen’s press officer secretly was recorded by a woman who pretended to be on a date with him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The mood was perhaps best summed up at the face-off, when Joshua smiled and pretended to tickle Fury's stomach.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
A classic Arabic expression describes the brazen audacity of those who attack and then cry victim: “He slapped me, pretended to cry, and then ran to complain.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
He then pretended to board the old Air Force One, only to secretly switch planes by hiding in a refueling truck, due to security threats.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
When she heard her door open, Cat’s brain was buzzing, but she pretended to be asleep.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
El-Sayed has figured out how to talk to the people who love Fox without pretending that the network is something it isn’t.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
It’s more money for more stuff, when you should be at least pretending to care about the future.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
In one, she holds up a finger covered in red marker to look like blood, pretending to be a patient who asks how much stitches will cost, and is later shocked by the bill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Immigration enforcement have made arrests in connection with a suspected criminal network believed to be behind dozens of fake asylum claims from people pretending to be gay.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
I considered pretending that I still attended, but what was the point?
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.
