pretended; pretending; pretends
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
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
Clive Barnes1
: 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
Synonyms
Examples of pretend in a Sentence
Verb
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?
Adjective
The children played on a pretend train.
if you were to see the movie's pretend jewels in real life, you wouldn't be fooled for a minute
Recent Examples on the WebNick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors contended Jenelle was pretending to be Chris and used the false identity to fool her parents and to goad Marvin Potter into the killing.
—Katie O'Brien, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Avery, in the guise of Bridgeman, pretended his ship was a slaver bending the rules as so many did, trafficking enslaved Africans and elephant tusks without the seal of approval from the Royal African Company, which owned the British crown’s monopoly over the trade.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Even when a user does reject all those password reset alerts, the hackers have, in some cases, called up the user and pretended to be a support person—using identifying information from online databases to fake their legitimacy—to social engineer them into resetting their password.
—Andy Greenberg Andrew Couts, WIRED, 30 Mar. 2024
Hendry said the strategy of extending and pretending might be the wrong medicine for the current moment.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Eventually, Individual 2 pretended to be Brittingham Group's underwriter who would also tell victims that their investments were safe and their money was on its way.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
There was a twist: One team member was a researcher who only pretended to engage in the task, nodding and commenting when appropriate but not really caring about the outcome.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
In some cases, the scammers have even called individuals and pretended to be Apple Support.
—Jody Serrano / Gizmodo, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
Anna Vognsen, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2024
If the pretend water plant in this article had been real, a successful hack could have brought about serious consequences.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024
If kids can grow out of their pretend pals, so too can horror audiences of cynical snoozes like this.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
While using one of the 18 accessories that come with this kitchen (including pots and pans for cooking a favorite meal), children can engage in pretend play, which is directly linked to higher social-cognitive and social-emotional skills.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
The videos showed a then-toddler True enjoying playing in her pretend kitchen inside the playhouse, ready to serve her mom a meal.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024
The building blocks are entertaining and educational, creating opportunities to expand STEAM skills and engage in pretend play.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 14 Feb. 2024
The girl dad is immersed in pretend play, a customer in his daughters' beauty shop.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 24 Jan. 2024
How could these missionaries not know: there is no foreign song in a pretend foreign song.
—Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
Verb
For example, a hacker might call a company’s help desk, pretending to be an employee, and ask to reset their two-factor authentication.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors contended Jenelle was pretending to be Chris and used the false identity to fool her parents and to goad Marvin Potter into the killing.
—Katie O'Brien, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Avery, in the guise of Bridgeman, pretended his ship was a slaver bending the rules as so many did, trafficking enslaved Africans and elephant tusks without the seal of approval from the Royal African Company, which owned the British crown’s monopoly over the trade.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Even when a user does reject all those password reset alerts, the hackers have, in some cases, called up the user and pretended to be a support person—using identifying information from online databases to fake their legitimacy—to social engineer them into resetting their password.
—Andy Greenberg Andrew Couts, WIRED, 30 Mar. 2024
Hendry said the strategy of extending and pretending might be the wrong medicine for the current moment.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Eventually, Individual 2 pretended to be Brittingham Group's underwriter who would also tell victims that their investments were safe and their money was on its way.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
There was a twist: One team member was a researcher who only pretended to engage in the task, nodding and commenting when appropriate but not really caring about the outcome.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
In some cases, the scammers have even called individuals and pretended to be Apple Support.
—Jody Serrano / Gizmodo, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Now’s the time when toddlers enter fully into the world of pretend play and role play, and toys are the way children connect with caregivers and learn coping skills, say Adams and Eromenok.
—Anna Vognsen, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2024
If the pretend water plant in this article had been real, a successful hack could have brought about serious consequences.
—Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024
If kids can grow out of their pretend pals, so too can horror audiences of cynical snoozes like this.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
While using one of the 18 accessories that come with this kitchen (including pots and pans for cooking a favorite meal), children can engage in pretend play, which is directly linked to higher social-cognitive and social-emotional skills.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
The videos showed a then-toddler True enjoying playing in her pretend kitchen inside the playhouse, ready to serve her mom a meal.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024
The building blocks are entertaining and educational, creating opportunities to expand STEAM skills and engage in pretend play.
—Katrina Cossey, Parents, 14 Feb. 2024
The girl dad is immersed in pretend play, a customer in his daughters' beauty shop.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 24 Jan. 2024
How could these missionaries not know: there is no foreign song in a pretend foreign song.
—Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pretend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pretend
Cite this Entry
“Pretend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pretend. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 adjectiveLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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