1
as in poses
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
I pretended that I didn't care that my ex had a new man in her life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in assumes
to present a false appearance of
as if I would ever pretend illness just to take off a day from work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pretends
Pig-butchering scams, in which a stranger pretends to befriend you and then coaxes you into putting money into a cryptocurrency scam, don’t involve that same act now urgency.
—
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
In each new place, Charlie pretends to be Layla, hoping to ensnare an unsuspecting Stanley into his web of deceit.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
Elsa argues with her mother, Isabel doesn’t like to be questioned and pretends everything’s all right, while Amalia hangs with dodgy characters and makes claims that seem real only to her.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 25 May 2026
But nobody pretends academics matter for college football players in 2026, and shortening the lull could maintain momentum and move the National Championship up a few weeks.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
This team is improved, has a deeper roster, no longer pretends Kris Bryant is a major league player and features more functional pitchers (No, seriously).
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
The narrator of Lerner’s tight, astonishingly trenchant new book pretends to record part of his conversations with his elderly mentor and then uses his memory to write a profile.
—Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Thus ensnared in a fiction of his making, the narrator takes his phone out and pretends to press Record.
—Giles Harvey, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Sporting a bright yellow raincoat and rainboots, Garcia pretends to be a journalist reporting on the storm in West Kendall as a palm tree leaf slaps her across the face.
—Xitlalic Montelongo, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
In each new place, Charlie pretends to be Layla, hoping to ensnare an unsuspecting Stanley into his web of deceit.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
Elsa argues with her mother, Isabel doesn’t like to be questioned and pretends everything’s all right, while Amalia hangs with dodgy characters and makes claims that seem real only to her.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 25 May 2026
But nobody pretends academics matter for college football players in 2026, and shortening the lull could maintain momentum and move the National Championship up a few weeks.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
This team is improved, has a deeper roster, no longer pretends Kris Bryant is a major league player and features more functional pitchers (No, seriously).
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
The narrator of Lerner’s tight, astonishingly trenchant new book pretends to record part of his conversations with his elderly mentor and then uses his memory to write a profile.
—Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Thus ensnared in a fiction of his making, the narrator takes his phone out and pretends to press Record.
—Giles Harvey, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Sporting a bright yellow raincoat and rainboots, Garcia pretends to be a journalist reporting on the storm in West Kendall as a palm tree leaf slaps her across the face.
—Xitlalic Montelongo, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretends
Verb
-
The project team stressed that this poses a problem, however.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
11 June 2026
-
While the pest poses no threat to food safety, its presence is disrupting the transportation of animals and threatening to squeeze margins further for the struggling beef industry.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The best outcome for a bondholder is that the borrower pays the coupon and returns the principal, which is exactly what the price already assumes.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
Because the world assumes that all people are heteronormative and cisgenger, kids can often be on the back foot when talking about their relationships and identity.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Reid plays this so well, but the direction is a little over the top, with drug-trip visuals that are too distracting to follow the dense-as-ever disjointed narration.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
-
Haiti opens its World Cup campaign against Scotland in Boston on June 13, then plays Brazil June 19 in Philadelphia and Morocco June 24 in Atlanta.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
The Supercomputer simulates the remaining fixtures of a season 10,000 times and analyses the results to create an average league table from those simulations.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
The facility is likely the only one in the world that can do full-load, bidirectional testing that simulates both grid conditions and variable data-center loads.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Unlike the House’s reconciliation process, the Senate is a more delicate balancing act between a marathon voting session where Democrats try to exploit defections and the chamber’s parliamentarian, who acts as a referee for which policies may be excluded.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
9 June 2026
-
Because most of the produce is highly perishable, the team acts quickly.—
Jerry Wu,
Chicago Tribune,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
All proudly professes himself as a man of faith.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
After the massive trauma crisis is resolved, Owen professes his desire to be with Teddy and move to Paris, where Teddy was considering a once-in-a-lifetime research position.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
With his multi-instrumentalist bandmates, PJ Moore and co-songwriter Robert Bell, Buchanan zooms into these exchanges to prolong them or dissembles them into jagged pieces that leave the bigger picture to us.—
Sam Sodomsky,
Pitchfork,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Audrey Hudson, twenty-four, is a gifted battlefield surgeon who feigns muteness to comfort Carter Reynolds, a combat soldier deafened by an explosion.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Someone who’s really living the Andrew Tate-like lifestyle Jacob only feigns is his bestie Cameron (Dylan Playfair).—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretends. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
