Main Entry:

¹pre·tend

Pronunciation:

\pri-ˈtend\

Function:

verb

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French pretendre, from Latin praetendere to allege as an excuse, literally, to stretch out, from prae- pre- + tendere to stretch — more at thin

Date:

15th century

transitive verb1: to give a false appearance of being, possessing, or performing <does not pretend to be a psychiatrist>2 a: to make believe : feign <he pretended deafness> b: to claim, represent, or assert falsely <pretending an emotion he could not really feel>3archaic : venture, undertakeintransitive verb1: to feign an action, part, or role especially in play2: to put in a claim <cannot pretend to any particular expertise — Clive Barnes>

synonyms see assume