pretend

verb
UK: /prɪˈtend/
US: /prɪˈtend/

  1. To act as if something is true when it is not.

    1. Let's pretend we are pirates finding treasure. [ ] [ ]
    2. The children pretend that the box is a spaceship, flying to distant stars. [ ] [ ]

  2. To give the appearance of feeling or being something.

    1. She tried to pretend she wasn't disappointed by the news. [ ] [ ]
    2. I didn't want to pretend to be happy when I was really feeling quite sad. [ ] [ ]

  3. To claim to have qualities, abilities, or feelings that you do not really have, often in order to deceive people.

    1. He doesn't like the gift, but he will pretend he does. [ ] [ ]
    2. The suspect tried to pretend that he was a tourist in order to avoid suspicion. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

feign impersonate simulate act sham imagine affect
pretend adjective

  1. Not real or true; imagined.

    1. This is a pretend gun, so it's safe to play with. [ ] [ ]
    2. They lived in a world of pretend, far removed from the realities of daily life. [ ] [ ]
pretend noun

  1. An act of pretending.

    1. She dropped the pretend and admitted her true feelings. [ ] [ ]
    2. Let's drop the pretend and be honest with each other about what's really happening. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "pretend" in English means: To act as if something is true when it is not., To give the appearance of feeling or being something., To claim to have qualities, abilities, or feelings that you do not really have, often in order to deceive people..

The phonetic transcription of "pretend" is /prɪˈtend/ in British English and /prɪˈtend/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "pretend": feign, impersonate, simulate, act, sham, imagine, affect.

Example usage of "pretend": "Let's pretend we are pirates finding treasure.". More examples on the page.