pretend

¹pre·tend

verb \pri-ˈtend\

Definition of PRETEND

transitive verb

1

: 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>

3

archaic : venture, undertake

intransitive verb

1

: to feign an action, part, or role especially in play

2

: to put in a claim <cannot pretend to any particular expertise — Clive Barnes>

Examples of PRETEND

1. He had a big stain on his shirt, but I pretended not to notice.
2. The children pretended to be asleep.
3. She looked like she was enjoying the party but she was just pretending.
4. It was a mistake, and to pretend otherwise would be foolish.
5. The children were pretending to be animals.
6. He pretended to make a phone call.
7. Let's just pretend for a moment. I'm your boss. What would you say to me?

Origin of PRETEND

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

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to PRETEND

Synonyms

dissemble, dissimulate, let on, make out, make a pretense, make a show, make believe, put on an act, put up a front

Related Words

act, impersonate, masquerade, play, playact, pose; affect, assume, counterfeit, fake, feign, profess, put on, sham, simulate; camouflage, conceal, disguise, mask; bluff, feint

See Synonym Discussion at assume

Rhymes with PRETEND

addend, amend, append, ascend, attend, bartend, befriend, Big Bend, bookend, boyfriend, closed-end, commend, compend, contend, dead end, dead-end, defend, depend, descend, distend, downtrend, emend, expend, extend, fag end, forfend, front-end, girlfriend, Gravesend, headend, high-end, hornblende, impend, intend, Land's End, loose end, low-end, missend, misspend, next friend, no end, offend, on end, Ostend, outspend, perpend, pitchblende, portend, propend, protend, rear-end, resend, sheet bend, South Bend, split end, stipend, subtend, suspend, tag end, tail end, tight end, top-end, transcend, unbend, unkenned, upend, uptrend, weekend, year-end

²pretend

adjective

Definition of PRETEND

1

: imaginary, make-believe <had a pretend pal with whom he talked>

2

: not genuine : mock <pretend pearls>

3

: being a nonfunctional imitation <a pretend train for the children to play in>

Examples of PRETEND

1. The children played on a pretend train.
2. <if you were to see the movie's pretend jewels in real life, you wouldn't be fooled for a minute>

First Known Use of PRETEND

1911

Related to PRETEND

Synonyms

artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false, faux, imitative, man-made, mimic, mock, imitation, sham, simulated, substitute, synthetic

Antonyms

genuine, natural, real

Related Words

cultured, manufactured, process; unauthentic; adulterated, designer, doctored, engineered, fudged, juggled, manipulated, tampered (with); concocted, fabricated; counterfeit, deceptive, forged, fraudulent, misleading, phony (also phoney); affected, brummagem, feigned, pinchbeck, pseudo, spurious

Near Antonyms

authentic, bona fide, legitimate, true; premium, quality, valuable; pure, unadulterated