pretend

verb

pre·​tend pri-ˈtend 

pretended; pretending; pretends

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

Synonyms of pretend

• pose
• play
• assume
• act
• dissimulate
• make believe
• dissemble
• fake
• simulate
• let on
• make a show

Choose the Right Synonym for pretend

assume, affect, pretend, simulate, feign, counterfeit, sham mean to put on a false or deceptive appearance.

assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

feigned sickness

counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

Examples of pretend in a Sentence

He had a big stain on his shirt, but I pretended not to notice.

The children pretended to be asleep.

She looked like she was enjoying the party but she was just pretending.

It was a mistake, and to pretend otherwise would be foolish.

The children were pretending to be animals.

He pretended to make a phone call.

Let's just pretend for a moment. I'm your boss. What would you say to me?

Recent Examples on the Web

This is unnecessary, of course; everyone in the restaurant is already excitedly pretending not to notice that Her Name Is Jen. —Alessandra Codinha, InStyle, 3 June 2026

Tribeca does the next best thing, with four stars of the comedy streaming service Dropout TV pretending to be the stars of a fake movie, whose title is suggested by the audience (June 14). —David Morgan, CBS News, 3 June 2026

Exactly the kind of underground-rap soap opera fans pretend to hate while feeding in real time. —Jeff Ihaza, VIBE.com, 2 June 2026

Charli isn’t pretending the world’s ills are curable through a sweaty night dancing with friends. —Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English pretenden "to claim (to be), profess to have, feign oneself to be, proffer, intend, propose," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French pretendre "to lay claim to, allege in court pending proof," borrowed from Latin praetendere "to hold or stretch out, put forward as a pretext, allege in excuse, show deceptively," from prae- pre- + tendere "to extend outward, stretch, spread out" — more at tender entry 3

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing pretend

• pretend to (something)

Rhymes for pretend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend

Kids Definition

pretend

1 of 2 verb

pre·​tend pri-ˈtend 

1

: to give the appearance of being, having, or doing

I don't pretend to be a doctor, but you should do something about that cough

2

: to make believe : act a part or role

pretend to be a bear

pretend I'm your boss. What would you say?

pretend

2 of 2 adjective

: imaginary, make-believe