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:
I don’t pretend to know the motivations of Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and other tech titans who last weekend announced their view that the development of artificial intelligence requires government oversight to avert global catastrophe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
So when, like Tom, we can no longer pretend that truly terrible things aren’t happening, what should we do next?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
"So what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot," Trump said recently at a rally in South Carolina.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Something intimate died so that something enormous could take its place, and I will not pretend the trade was even.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
“Are you even going to pretend to listen to me?”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The fires are not a freak event, and no one in Greece pretends they are.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
"He is not happy, he pretends he is happy," said Tamim.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Under the blazing Vegas sun, giant billboards advertise "Live Enhanced" as the baritone voice of a sports announcer pretends to introduce British swimmer Ben Proud and other athletes.
From BBC ● May 23, 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
While he pretends to work, I watch the theater's heavy door.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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
That legacy belongs to the young girl who once pretended to be a boy just to box when girls were not allowed.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Rand pretended to be me and I pretended to be Rand,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
A bird fluttered down to a low branch and chirped as though he were saying something to Red, and I had the feeling she understood the bird, even though she pretended not to notice.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Maybe it’s bad news when even the economists have quit pretending that everything will be fine.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
He also singled out Anthropic’s Amodei, who he claimed is pretending to be a “perfect little angel,” and ruled out additional AI regulations.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
No one is pretending it's just what Farage tried to joke was a "little, local difficulty".
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
When audiences think of acting, they think of actors pretending, like you’re putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
“You’re right,” I acknowledge because there’s no point in pretending now.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
